One MIND-BLOWING Secret From EVERY Month Of The WWE Attitude Era
19. October 1999 | Oh…That’s Why
Researching this series is genuinely fascinating because the context of a quarter century passed makes for amusing reading. It’s only years and years later that you are able to understand why a hotly-rumoured development never ended up happening.
Per the October 4 Observer Newsletter, the WWF reached an agreement to sign ECW valet Kimona Wanalaya (a name, incidentally, of which even Ian Fleming would be proud). While this update was revised to “Kimona Wanalaya has been discussed internally” on October 11, it is apparent that somebody of influence in the WWF thought enough of the performer to endorse her. We also know that Kristina Laum did not end up signing for the promotion; she debuted in WCW as Leia Meow not long after this report. This was weird. Sable had departed the WWF acrimoniously in mid-1999. There was a gooner material deficit for the lads. Surely, signing Kimona Wanalaya - an act considered so hot that “the night she danced atop the ECW Arena” was used as the primary reason to buy home videos - was a no-brainer?
Well.
Wrestling fans learned years later that Vince McMahon was reluctant to sign Gail Kim because he could not be convinced that men would masturbate over an Asian woman. It’s horrendous, obviously, that this was at the top of his mind - but since Kimona was also of Asian descent, you’d have to think this had something to do with it.
“I don’t know. Who’s going to crank it over her?”
“Well, it didn’t take longer than a hiccup when I whipped it like a government mule, quite frankly.”