On March 29, 2015, Rikishi will enter the WWE Hall of Fame, his career capped off with the greatest honor a Superstar can achieve. But it was not easy for the Samoan competitor to get there. After achieving success as one-half of the Headshrinkers (Fatu), he floated around WWE's undercard, enduring a series of bad characters and awful gimmicks. One of them was The Sultan, a competitor from the Middle East introduced to the WWE Universe by The Iron Shiek and Mr. Bob Backlund. After picking up several wins early, the character settled into the roll of midcard enhancement talent late in 1996 and in the first few weeks of '97. Then suddenly, and without any real momentum or storyline to speak of, he became the top contender to rookie Rocky Maivia's Intercontinental Championship. That's right; not only did the ridiculous Sultan gimmick make it onto the WrestleMania card, he was involved in a high-profile championship match. He lost in what was one of the worst championship encounters of all-time, and disappeared not long afterward. Much to the benefit of the man behind the mask, who likely would not have achieved the ultimate honor of the Hall of Fame had his journey ended with The Sultan.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
