Towards the end of his run in the WWF, Kamala was cast as a well-meaning babyface looking to integrate himself into normal society. Rescued by the Reverend Slick, the character was popular as a mid card good guy. Before that, 'The Ugandan Giant' was a freakish beast who favoured cooking people in a pot and eating them. The cannibalistic Kamala was hair-raising, because Jim Harris, the man behind the character, was awesome at playing it. Incredibly, it was Jerry 'The King' Lawler who helped create the gimmick. Realising that Harris wasn't the best in-ring worker and lacked amazing verbal skills, the persona of Kamala was designed to help him succeed. It really did exactly that, and led to a run in the WWF. Signed in 1984, fans were alarmed to see the face-painted behemoth strolling down to ringside. Slapping his belly and gurning for the cameras, Kamala's cause was helped by announcers like Gorilla Monsoon. The commentator brilliantly outlined the dangerous nature of the wrestler, covering up for his lack of proper wrestling ability with comments about his background. Fans were terrified of Kamala, because cannibalism is such a taboo (and scary) subject.
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.
