10 Wrestling Gimmicks That Went Way Over Everyone’s Heads

8. Akeem (Walking Rib On Dusty Rhodes)

Akeem WWE
WWE.com

What People Thought: Almost overnight in 1988, the One Man Gang went from street fighting bad-ass to dancing like someone's dad down the pub after one too many pints of Guinness. The drastic change in gimmick appeared to occur because Gang had lost his marbles and believed himself to be an African dude called Akeem.

What He Actually Was: A rather unnecessary rib at NWA star Dusty Rhodes' expense.

Akeem's manager Slick assured fans that his man was only embracing his African roots and would henceforth be known as the 'African Dream'. This, deep down, was a dig at Dusty's voice and the way the 'American Dream' delivered his promos.

Fans who didn't watch much NWA or view Rhodes through the same silly lens as Vince McMahon weren't in on the gag. To them, One Man Gang had been changed for no good reason, and the loud colours, cringeworthy dancing and thin-as-all-hell backstory Slick gave wasn't enough to help them understand Akeem's purpose.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.