A classic example of what happens when the office comes up with a terrible, terrible gimmick and then rams it down everyones throats. For those who dont recall, Yokozuna was a sumo wrestler character played by an eight year Samoan-American veteran professional wrestler from one of the most famous and prolific wrestling families in history. You cant reasonably expect much from a company that gave half the incredibly talented Anoai family the mute-savage monster foreigner gimmick but at least they were asked to play with their own cultures. Despite being billed as coming from Polynesia (possibly as a way of heading off accusations of genuine racism and cultural appropriation), Yokozuna would rip off everything Japanese culture had to offer, with his ring entrance, hair and gear being based on the ceremonial aspects of sumo (itself an honourable amateur wrestling profession that dates back two millennia). To add further insult, yokozuna is the highest ranking title in sumo. Its like if Kurt Angle had called himself Gold Medal. Rodney Anoais new character was pushed to the moon as an unstoppable monster heel, winning the Royal Rumble less than three months after debuting in late 1992, and the WWF championship from Bret The Hitman Hart at Wrestlemania for about five minutes before dropping it back to Hulk Hogan. Hed then feud with Lex Lugers patriotic babyface character in one of those crypto-racist WWF storylines of the eighties and nineties that makes you want to wash a lot after reviewing. Theres no question that, before his ballooning weight made him a danger to himself and others in the ring, Anoai was a talented professional wrestler more than that though, he was the recipient of one of the most concerted pushes ever given to a WWF/WWE superstar even if it was as a borderline racist monster heel, a gimmick with no legs to it.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
