Akebono's appearance in the WWE was just... bizarre. And while he's a professional wrestler now, at the time he showed up in the squared circle for Vince McMahon's promotion, he was anything but. Keep in mind that Akebono was a legit Sumo champion who would later try out mixed martial arts and kickboxing, failing handily at both. With his sumo career over, he was looking for his next endeavor. Then in 2005 he briefly joined the WWE to take on The Big Show in a (worked) sumo bout at WrestleMania 21. Now, if it was just a sumo match, Akebono wouldn't be appearing here. However, he also had a couple of actual matches, first taking out jobber Eddie Vegas on Smackdown prior to WrestleMania, then, after the event, teaming up with The Big Show at a couple of house shows. None of these appearances were particularly good, and it's mostly forgotten that he ever did more than the sumo bout with Big Show in the WWE. He would eventually go on to a successful pro wrestling career in Japan, where he has been a citizen since 1996, but he has mostly been forgotten by western wrestling fans. You have to wonder, had he got some experience in the business and came to the WWE later, with proper training, whether things might have been different.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
