10 WWE Wrestlers HYPED Vince McMahon Is Gone
5. Akira Tozawa
It is inexplicable that WWE's most racist modern gimmick is still on television two years later.
Vince McMahon decided, at the height of the pandemic, that presenting a Japanese wrestler as a cartoon ninja was the right move, thus condemning Akira Tozawa to a listless life in the 24/7 Championship decision. But where Vince once tired of these dumb, insensitive, one-note gimmicks quickly, this one has endured. If you see Akira on television in 2022, he'll be in the middle of a Benny Hill chase for Dana Brooke's comedy belt, still clad in stereotypical garb.
What's even more inexplicable was the idea that Akira Tozawa needed an elaborate gimmick in the first place. Blessed with an immense physical charisma transcending the language barrier, the former Dragongate standout is an elite babyface. His work erupts with personality. Unhindered by a dopy ninja character, Tozawa possesses a spark most wrestlers bigger than him would kill for - and his size makes him a natural underdog here, in the Land of the Giants.
Under Vince, Tozawa would never be anything other than racist comic relief. Under Triple H, he can be more.