10 Stupidest Gimmick Changes In WWE History
9. One Man Gang To Akeem The African Dream
The One Man Gang was a former UWF heavyweight champion who, as a 400 lbs. heel, was one of the top stars in the territory. It was only natural that Vince McMahon would want the big man during the WWF excess days of 1987. He was given a pretty decent push and even got to "retire" Superstar Billy Graham following a big splash on the floor.
However, after the Wrestlemania IV title tournament, McMahon decided that the Gang needed a change to reconnect with the audience: He needed to go back to his African roots.
Now, forgive me for a minute, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that George Gray doesn't appear to have any "African roots". Of course, that was the joke because who doesn't love a 450 lbs. white guy from South Carolina who pretends to be black?
Gang was renamed "Akeem, the African Dream" complete with Slick as a manager and a semi-offensive "tribal celebration" to complete his transformation. Akeem awkwardly jive-walked around the WWF ring for two more years before heading into the arms of WCW.