22 WWE Stars From The 2000s That You Totally Don't Remember

12. Kenzo Suzuki

Kenzo Suzuki had a hectic life before he even made it to WWE. Before getting into professional wrestling Kenzo played professional rugby, representing his country at international level. He made his New Japan debut in 2000 (at the Tokyo Dome of all places), wrestling for the company in 2003. After leaving NJPW, Suzuki ventured to the World Japan promotion. It was not a happy time, and Suzuki was forced to leave when a trainee died while under his watch. He worked the indies (including TNA) before getting signed by WWE. What WWE saw in Suzuki, besides his size, is anyone's guess. The company originally wanted to bring Suzuki in on Raw under the name Hirohito after a real life Japanese emporer who held anti-American views. Suzuki managed to talk WWE out of it and he debuted on Smackdown instead, with no real gimmick to speak of. Suzuki's most noteworthy contribution to WWE was his Tag Team Championship winning team with Rene Rupree and his brief feud with John Cena. Suzuki suffered a collapsed lung in early 2005 and was sent to OVW following his recovery. He was drafted to Raw in April but didn't make an appearance on the show before his (and his wife Hiroko's) release on July 6th.