Name: Steve Lombardi Active Date(s): 1986-1987, 1992, 1993 Wrestlers Managed: Kamala The WWE will never win any awards for cultural sensitivity or political correctness, but its pretty damn hard to come up with a more offensive character than Kamala. He was billed as a savage from Uganda, and he approached the ring with a grotesque mask, skull makeup, and a leopard loincloth. And to top off this testament to offensiveness, Kim Chee, Kamalas handler, accompanied him to the ring. Kim Chee wore a pith helmet and survival gear, as though he had found Kamala on safari, and was training him or even worse, was keeping him as a souvenir. Fortunately, when Kamala left the WWE, the Kim Chee character left as well. Since then, we only see him at nostalgia fests, like the Gimmick Battle Royal at Wrestlemania XVII.
Kevin is an AP English Language teacher and freelance writer from Queens, NY. His focus is on American pop culture and American issues. He wrote a weekly column for Complex called "Throwback Thursdays," which spotlighted video games and trends from previous console generations. Kevin has also been published in VIBE, Salon, PopMatters, Joystiq, and Racialicious. Follow him on Twitter to learn more.
