Which Former WWE Talent Did Staff Fear Was Yakuza?!
What a rib. What a terrifying rib.
"Taka Michi-no-clue".
That Jerry Lawler commentary joke could've been a craftily reworked name for Taka Michinoku in the late-90s when he joined the WWF and became the first Light-Heavyweight Champion. The Japanese star was none the wiser that Bruce Prichard was ribbing the crap out of his colleagues by pretending that Taka had links to the Yakuza.
When several company staffers backstage pointed out that Michinoku wasn't missing a digit and therefore couldn't be an integral part of the Japanese crime syndicate, Prichard had an answer. He told everyone that Taka was such a big wrestling star in his homeland that the Yakuza cut one of his toes off instead so he could continue to work.
He then invited everyone to take a gander at Michinoku's feet whenever he went for a shower. This is real life, folks.
Bruce had Bradshaw on the case too. The burly Texan helped convince some in the WWF locker room not to dare mess with Taka, and he was only too happy to push that the mild-mannered newcomer was part of the mafia.
Some of the boys believed it.