10 Worst WWE Gimmick Ideas You Won't Believe Almost Happened

9. Hirohito

bob holly spaceman
WWE.com

Remember Kenzo Suzuki?

The Japanese wrestler worked for WWE from 2004 to 2005, and is most famous for adopting a bizarre pro-American gimmick while teaming with Rene Dupree. The duo became WWE Tag Team Champions together, but Suzuki's WWE career faded away shortly after losing the belts, and he was released six months later.

It's fair to say that Suzuki never really caught on in WWE, but things could've been a lot worse. The company reportedly wanted to portray a character called Hirohito on television, named after the famous Japanese emperor who served through World War 2 and beyond. WWE even went so far as to air a handful of vignettes for the character on Raw, but the idea was quickly canned when they acknowledged how much legitimate heat it would draw in Japan.

The most bizarre facet is that Hirohito was supposedly set to debut at main event level and feud with Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho, two Canadians, in a USA vs. Japan storyline. The idea of Suzuki occupying such a lofty position is weird enough, but changing two of the company's top stars' nationalities to accommodate Kenzo?

That's bewildering.

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Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.