Sephiroth
Wade Wilson
Surviving
Posts: 28,917
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Post by Sephiroth on Nov 5, 2022 6:43:19 GMT -5
Another thread was speculating over old school gimmicks that don’t work anymore, and the Samoan wild man was one that quickly got mentioned. And I cannot but be struck by the still strong presence of the Samoan dynasty in wrestling, thanks in no small part to a certain geology named mega star, yet over time the image has noticed from wild savage into a street tough gangsta; Three Minute Warning, the Uso’s at various points in their careers, Rikishi during his herl turn, and Jacob Fatu all come to mind as examples. I’ve also seen interviews where Konnan has stated he and Yokozuna brainstormed the idea of Yoko as his gangsta bodyguard.
On one hand I get how the Samoan wild man gimmick got dated, but where when and why this transition took place eludes me. I know Jacob Fatu did some time in jail and there are stories of Yokozuna smuggling drugs hidden in the rolls of his torso, but to the best of my knowledge there is no real precedent of Samoan street gangs either in their native pacific islands or anywhere in the continental United States; Cryme Time or LAX made sense because there are real African American and Latino street gangs, but I’ve never heard of a Polynesian version of the bloods or the crips. Even more baffling is how this strange hybrid gimmick has managed to work out as well as it has. Seems ripe for a deeper dive..
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chrom
Backup Wench
Master of the rare undecuple post
Posts: 84,670 
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Post by chrom on Nov 5, 2022 6:46:17 GMT -5
Mid 90s, starting when Fatu went from Headshrinker to Make a Difference.
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Post by James Fabiano on Nov 5, 2022 8:38:40 GMT -5
I guess Fatu did make a difference!
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Post by chronocross on Nov 5, 2022 9:15:50 GMT -5
I know Samu and Rosey teamed up in ECW around 96 as the Samoan Gangsta Party where they ditched the old savage gimmick and feuded with The Gangstas.
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Post by Citizen Snips Has Left on Nov 5, 2022 10:30:24 GMT -5
The big scar on Rikishi’s stomach is from a drive-by shooting, so the idea that Samoans are somehow immune to crime when living in rough neighborhoods is a bit strange.
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XIII
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Posts: 18,440
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Post by XIII on Nov 5, 2022 10:32:24 GMT -5
Samoans may not have street gangs (at least big ones that I’m aware of) but they often find themselves living the street life. I saw a documentary about Samoan football players and guys like Troy Polamalu and Hloti Ngata were talking about how they knew guys that should have been superstars but got caught up in the street life.
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Post by hyperstorm on Nov 6, 2022 4:47:17 GMT -5
Another thread was speculating over old school gimmicks that don’t work anymore, and the Samoan wild man was one that quickly got mentioned. And I cannot but be struck by the still strong presence of the Samoan dynasty in wrestling, thanks in no small part to a certain geology named mega star, yet over time the image has noticed from wild savage into a street tough gangsta; Three Minute Warning, the Uso’s at various points in their careers, Rikishi during his herl turn, and Jacob Fatu all come to mind as examples. I’ve also seen interviews where Konnan has stated he and Yokozuna brainstormed the idea of Yoko as his gangsta bodyguard. On one hand I get how the Samoan wild man gimmick got dated, but where when and why this transition took place eludes me. I know Jacob Fatu did some time in jail and there are stories of Yokozuna smuggling drugs hidden in the rolls of his torso, but to the best of my knowledge there is no real precedent of Samoan street gangs either in their native pacific islands or anywhere in the continental United States; Cryme Time or LAX made sense because there are real African American and Latino street gangs, but I’ve never heard of a Polynesian version of the bloods or the crips. Even more baffling is how this strange hybrid gimmick has managed to work out as well as it has. Seems ripe for a deeper dive.. The first result on Google for Samoan gang is the Wikipedia entry for the Sons of Samoa, a Crips-affiliated gang on the west coast. |
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67 more
King Koopa
He's just a Sexy Kurt
Posts: 11,503
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Post by 67 more on Nov 6, 2022 15:19:23 GMT -5
The big scar on Rikishi’s stomach is from a drive-by shooting, so the idea that Samoans are somehow immune to crime when living in rough neighborhoods is a bit strange. I watched so much of Rikishi's run on VHS and small CRTs that I never ever noticed his scar. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2022 19:39:25 GMT -5
3 Minute Warning were the first I seen.
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tafkaga
Samurai Cop
the Dogfather
Posts: 2,108
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Post by tafkaga on Nov 7, 2022 10:15:08 GMT -5
Early Meng wasn't Samoan, and not a gangster, but it might be the first case of a Polynesian guy not having an ethnic gimmick.
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
Posts: 21,170
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Post by agent817 on Nov 7, 2022 10:44:19 GMT -5
Samoans may not have street gangs (at least big ones that I’m aware of) but they often find themselves living the street life. I saw a documentary about Samoan football players and guys like Troy Polamalu and Hloti Ngata were talking about how they knew guys that should have been superstars but got caught up in the street life. Perhaps, but the rap group, Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., are actually Bloods. |
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Post by James Fabiano on Nov 7, 2022 10:56:56 GMT -5
Early Meng wasn't Samoan, and not a gangster, but it might be the first case of a Polynesian guy not having an ethnic gimmick. The Islanders, though they weren't savages and gave English interviews (Tama in particular), vaguely had some of the same tropes...bare feet, headdresses, flowery patterned attire... If you meant Meng/Haku in WCW...yeah he started as a Bubba Rogers clone. Now, if you consider the vaguely mafioso bodyguard as a kind of gangster... |
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tafkaga
Samurai Cop
the Dogfather
Posts: 2,108
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Post by tafkaga on Nov 7, 2022 11:58:48 GMT -5
Early Meng wasn't Samoan, and not a gangster, but it might be the first case of a Polynesian guy not having an ethnic gimmick. The Islanders, though they weren't savages and gave English interviews (Tama in particular), vaguely had some of the same tropes...bare feet, headdresses, flowery patterned attire... If you meant Meng/Haku in WCW...yeah he started as a Bubba Rogers clone. Now, if you consider the vaguely mafioso bodyguard as a kind of gangster... Yeah I am talking about bodyguard Meng. |
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Post by Ronny Rayguns Is All Elite on Nov 7, 2022 13:31:29 GMT -5
Samoans may not have street gangs (at least big ones that I’m aware of) but they often find themselves living the street life. I saw a documentary about Samoan football players and guys like Troy Polamalu and Hloti Ngata were talking about how they knew guys that should have been superstars but got caught up in the street life. Perhaps, but the rap group, Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., are actually Bloods. I came in to mention Booy-Ya TRIBE |
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Post by XaviersSS2015hair on Nov 7, 2022 16:05:29 GMT -5
Another thread was speculating over old school gimmicks that don’t work anymore, and the Samoan wild man was one that quickly got mentioned. And I cannot but be struck by the still strong presence of the Samoan dynasty in wrestling, thanks in no small part to a certain geology named mega star, yet over time the image has noticed from wild savage into a street tough gangsta; Three Minute Warning, the Uso’s at various points in their careers, Rikishi during his herl turn, and Jacob Fatu all come to mind as examples. I’ve also seen interviews where Konnan has stated he and Yokozuna brainstormed the idea of Yoko as his gangsta bodyguard. On one hand I get how the Samoan wild man gimmick got dated, but where when and why this transition took place eludes me. I know Jacob Fatu did some time in jail and there are stories of Yokozuna smuggling drugs hidden in the rolls of his torso, but to the best of my knowledge there is no real precedent of Samoan street gangs either in their native pacific islands or anywhere in the continental United States; Cryme Time or LAX made sense because there are real African American and Latino street gangs, but I’ve never heard of a Polynesian version of the bloods or the crips. Even more baffling is how this strange hybrid gimmick has managed to work out as well as it has. Seems ripe for a deeper dive.. Samoan street gangs are a huge thing in California. Specifically the LA and SF areas. I live in the San Francisco area and there is a large Samoan population here. Which is why some Samoan wrestlers have been billed as being from San Francisco instead of Samoa over the last 20 years or so. Rikishi's niece was murdered in a shooting within the last year or two in San Francisco. The current incarnation of Jimmy and Jey Uso is shockingly close to what you would see in certain neighborhoods in SF. |
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Post by XaviersSS2015hair on Nov 7, 2022 16:08:37 GMT -5
Early Meng wasn't Samoan, and not a gangster, but it might be the first case of a Polynesian guy not having an ethnic gimmick. That's because Meng is Tongan, not Samoan. |
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Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,069
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Post by Mozenrath on Nov 7, 2022 20:32:24 GMT -5
Early Meng wasn't Samoan, and not a gangster, but it might be the first case of a Polynesian guy not having an ethnic gimmick. That's because Meng is Tongan, not Samoan. Yup. Like, he certainly has a familiarity with the Anoa'i family, but you'd figure the "Tongan Death Grip", "King Tonga", etc, would illustrate the point.  |
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Cranjis McBasketball
Crow T. Robot
Knew what the hell that thing was supposed to be
Peace Love and Nothing But
Posts: 41,920
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Nov 8, 2022 18:48:40 GMT -5
That's because Meng is Tongan, not Samoan. Yup. Like, he certainly has a familiarity with the Anoa'i family, but you'd figure the "Tongan Death Grip", "King Tonga", etc, would illustrate the point. Well, his shoot name is also Tonga. |
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