10 WWE Gimmicks With Racist Undertones
9. Yoshihiro Tajiri
Quickly forgiven thanks to the eclectic comedic chemistry of the pair, Yoshihiro Tajiri's position as William Regal's manservant had the decades-old stink of the 'idiot foreigner' trope about it until the 'Japanese Buzzsaw' finally got in the ring and literally kicked some doors down.
His 2001 entrance into the company lay in stark contrast to the viciousness of his latter-day ECW performances. Initially as a heel hired gun before turning face on his oppressors, the frightening pace and power of Tajiri's kicks made him one of the organisation's last must-see stars.
WWE had substantially less all that upon realising that he couldn't cut a particularly memorable promo in English. Often cast as the non-speaking sidekick, Tajiri was a tittering token tea boy for the snooty Commissioner and all too often positioned as the punchline instead of a feature performer in their skits.
His initial popularity in the role sadly gave way to an equally uneasy role as a bullish boyfriend to Torrie Wilson later in the year. Their good-natured odd couple relationship rapidly deteriorated into one of abuse and fear - with Wilson predictably forced into geisha garb to illustrate her enslavement.