Emerging in the mid-to-late-90's as a babyface Cruiserweight, the original Prince Iaukea gimmick was fairly simple. An island boy from Samoa, Iaukea's name was derived from the legendary 'King' Curtis Iaukea. The men were not related to one another, but the younger Prince did have several conversations with his older peer about using the name. Impressing with his abilities inside the ring, Prince Iaukea would eventually start to fizzle out as the 90's drew to a close. In an attempt to remedy this, Vince Russo - who had recently joined from the WWF - came up with a grand plan. Turning heel, Iaukea started referring to himself as 'The Artist Formerly Known As Prince Iaukea'. The character was obviously there to imitate what the pop star Prince had done in real life. In many ways, it was an easy-to-hate heel persona, and Iaukea's career was revitalised by the gimmick somewhat. Winning the WCW Cruiserweight Title during this period, Iaukea is nonetheless not really remembered too vividly by wrestling fans.