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Post by OGBoardPoster2005 on Dec 7, 2013 1:31:12 GMT -5
Surprised that the WWF always considered bringing him back had he lost the weight. So say Yoko loses the weight, what's his role in the Attitude Era? I personally seem him as either being thrown into Kaientai as an enforcer or being part of The Corporation and possibly feuding with Austin briefly.
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The Heenan Family
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Post by The Heenan Family on Dec 7, 2013 1:43:38 GMT -5
Probably more likely that he would have feuded with Mark Henry or Kane in the second half of 98. Maybe instead of bringing back Mabel to become Viscera, they would have used Yoko.
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El Pollo Guerrera
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Dec 7, 2013 1:44:28 GMT -5
1) Brief feud with The Rock, while acknowledging that Yoko was not Japanese but of Samoan descent.
2) Enforcer for the Corporation.
3) Tag team with Rikishi, split when Rikishi starts teaming with Too Cool. Leads to feud with Rikishi, ending with "Biggest Stinkface" battle at a WrestleMania.
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The Heenan Family
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Post by The Heenan Family on Dec 7, 2013 1:53:14 GMT -5
I'm not even sure WWE would bring in Rikishi if they had Yokozuna.
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El Pollo Guerrera
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Dec 7, 2013 2:22:53 GMT -5
Rikishi was already there, wasn't he? Around the start of "Attitude" he was working as "make a difference" Fatu, then as the Sultan.
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MolotovMocktail
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Post by MolotovMocktail on Dec 7, 2013 2:34:36 GMT -5
I'm guessing they would have finally acknowledged that he was Samoan and not Japanese.
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The Heenan Family
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Post by The Heenan Family on Dec 7, 2013 3:09:38 GMT -5
Rikishi was already there, wasn't he? Around the start of "Attitude" he was working as "make a difference" Fatu, then as the Sultan. I think he vanished for a bit after the failed Sultan gimmick. But I don't think they would have brought him back at the end of 99 with that huge push if Yoko was still hanging about. |
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Boo!
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Post by Boo! on Dec 7, 2013 3:53:28 GMT -5
I felt for the guy
*Vince voice*
"I want you get get huge. 'HERE HE COMES, HE WEIGHS SIX-HUNDRED POUNDS'...yeah! Eat damn it, eat. Eat! EAT!"
....then gets dropped out for being too big. It's as if after a couple of years of Vince getting a boner every time his weight went up someone whispered in his ear that his size was dangerous and suddenly - that's it. Lose weight or you won't have a job.
It could be that Yoko wanted or would have got to that size on his own anyway but I certainly believe that his increase in bulk was encouraged/instructed. It is an example of how someone endangers their health for the sake of the gimmick for a promoter who ultimately doesn't give a shit about their wellbeing.
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Cranjis McBasketball
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Dec 7, 2013 3:54:25 GMT -5
I dunno, but now the mental image of an 502 pound doing the DX crotch chop will dominate my thoughts. What a delightfully hilarious image!
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Post by thegame415 on Dec 7, 2013 5:56:48 GMT -5
Rikishi was already there, wasn't he? Around the start of "Attitude" he was working as "make a difference" Fatu, then as the Sultan. I think he vanished for a bit after the failed Sultan gimmick. But I don't think they would have brought him back at the end of 99 with that huge push if Yoko was still hanging about. Out of curiosity, I just looked up and found he worked the first three shows of 1998 as the Sultan, losing to Flash Funk twice and Ken Shamrock. He disappeared until the end of 1999. Back then, what happened to guys when they took them off TV? Did they just sit around until creative came up with something to do? Now, a lot of times, they just get released and someone from NXT takes their spot. |
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Post by millionurkle on Dec 7, 2013 9:33:33 GMT -5
I think he vanished for a bit after the failed Sultan gimmick. But I don't think they would have brought him back at the end of 99 with that huge push if Yoko was still hanging about. Out of curiosity, I just looked up and found he worked the first three shows of 1998 as the Sultan, losing to Flash Funk twice and Ken Shamrock. He disappeared until the end of 1999. Back then, what happened to guys when they took them off TV? Did they just sit around until creative came up with something to do? Now, a lot of times, they just get released and someone from NXT takes their spot. I remember seeing Rikishi in Power Pro Wrestling in Memphis before he was Rikishi in around 1999. I think he was a pimp type character. Here he is against a pre-debut Kurt Angle |
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Post by Joe Neglia on Dec 7, 2013 9:43:58 GMT -5
I recall towards the beginning of the Attitude Era, the newz sites were constantly going on that WWF was wanting Yoko to drop weight so they could bring him back - the sites insisted he was going to be brought back in as part of the Hart Foundation via his connection to Owen. This went on for a while, then the Foundation broke up.
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Post by OGBoardPoster2005 on Dec 7, 2013 12:12:17 GMT -5
I recall towards the beginning of the Attitude Era, the newz sites were constantly going on that WWF was wanting Yoko to drop weight so they could bring him back - the sites insisted he was going to be brought back in as part of the Hart Foundation via his connection to Owen. This went on for a while, then the Foundation broke up. Yoko in the Hart Foundation would be weird but I can see it. The stable would've been bloated as all hell though. |
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Post by jason1980s on Dec 7, 2013 12:59:50 GMT -5
I'm guessing WWF wanted him to come back and had plans if he had lost weight. In late 1997 Jakks made a three pack of figures with him, Ahmed and Marc Morrow (stupid Todd!). They also re-released the figure in a singles pack and made a repaint version as well. Hard to believe they'd through such effort on a guy who had been gone a year without input from WWF. Then again, I highly doubt WWF was even paying attention to early Jakks figures because they sucked so bad they should have lost their contract.
I think he was a complete afterthought after his Vader fued in early 1996. Any other face could've been used for the Summerslam Free For All match with Austin and being in the Survivor Series match was, I'm guessing, done because the roster was so thin at the point. The event had four newcomers and a non-roster legend in the traditional matches. Vader and he hadn't been feuding for about six months but WWF could always go back on their history.
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repomark
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Post by repomark on Dec 7, 2013 13:01:11 GMT -5
When I first saw Rikishi I actually thought it was a slimmed down Yokozuna. I quickly realised my error but there you go. I think had he been around there would certainly have been some form of interaction between the two - most likely as a tag team. New Wild Samoans? New Head Shrinkers? Something along those lines.
Yokozuna is very underrated in my view, just a shame he couldn't keep his weight down to a point where he was still mobile.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2013 8:39:26 GMT -5
Yeah, at the time Yokozuna was rumored to join the Hart Foundation, even after Bret was leaving. Yokozuna, Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon were all expected to shore up the Foundation - with Owen as the leader. You had the room; Pillman passed on a month earlier. No Bret. Then Bulldog & Neidhart were gone, and then there was one Owen. So they scrapped the idea. Out of curiosity, I just looked up and found he worked the first three shows of 1998 as the Sultan, losing to Flash Funk twice and Ken Shamrock. He disappeared until the end of 1999. Back then, what happened to guys when they took them off TV? Did they just sit around until creative came up with something to do? Now, a lot of times, they just get released and someone from NXT takes their spot. I remember seeing Rikishi in Power Pro Wrestling in Memphis before he was Rikishi in around 1999. I think he was a pimp type character. Back then (late '98 into '99), I know they had a developmental deal with PPW. So, if the WWF had nothing for you, they sent you down to Memphis to refine your gimmick, or work on another one. 1998-99 had the former Fatu/Sultan, Michael PS Hayes (before he was to become the mentor for the Hardy Boys), Carl "Cannonball" Oulette & some new guy named Kurt Angle feuding over the top title. (Crap, straining to think of what his PPW name was. Something like JB Smooth - but that can't be it. That was a wrestler from my EWR 2005, he was one of my top stars in Calgary.) |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2013 9:43:04 GMT -5
They'd have used him as an enforcer, I think. Hell, he could've easily gotten the role the Bossman played with the Corporation if he'd lost the weight. Back then, what happened to guys when they took them off TV? Did they just sit around until creative came up with something to do? Now, a lot of times, they just get released and someone from NXT takes their spot. See, now.......was he working for them in '98-99 between the Sultan/Rikishi eras? I assumed he wasn't. (And I'm fascinated he did some WWF shows in 1998 as the Sultan.) Even though the internet age existed back then, it was still kinda tough to discern things like this. EDIT: *reads post above* ......well I'll be. Damn. This is quite refreshing to read/learn.  |
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Post by millionurkle on Dec 8, 2013 9:43:35 GMT -5
Yeah, at the time Yokozuna was rumored to join the Hart Foundation, even after Bret was leaving. Yokozuna, Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon were all expected to shore up the Foundation - with Owen as the leader. You had the room; Pillman passed on a month earlier. No Bret. Then Bulldog & Neidhart were gone, and then there was one Owen. So they scrapped the idea. I remember seeing Rikishi in Power Pro Wrestling in Memphis before he was Rikishi in around 1999. I think he was a pimp type character. Back then (late '98 into '99), I know they had a developmental deal with PPW. So, if the WWF had nothing for you, they sent you down to Memphis to refine your gimmick, or work on another one. 1998-99 had the former Fatu/Sultan, Michael PS Hayes (before he was to become the mentor for the Hardy Boys), Carl "Cannonball" Oulette & some new guy named Kurt Angle feuding over the top title. (Crap, straining to think of what his PPW name was. Something like JB Smooth - but that can't be it. That was a wrestler from my EWR 2005, he was one of my top stars in Calgary.) JR Smooth was his name. JB Smooth is a comedian seen on Entourage and Real Husbands of Hollywood. |
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Post by jason1980s on Dec 8, 2013 10:59:10 GMT -5
As a member of the Samoan family, it seemed Fatu would always have a WWE job as long as he wanted. But it looks like he was going the Yokozuna weight route and WWE released him in 04.
He was probably under a long term contract from 1992-2004 but they didn't have anything for him between late 97 and late 99. The 1998 appearances surprised me too. Perhaps he was a replacement.
The last TV appearance I remember for him is August 1997 to put over Patriot. I hadn't seen Sultan on TV for months. I think his WrestleMania appearance in the IC title match shows a thinning roster at the time. He was never worthy of a title match.
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Post by SHAKEMASTER TV9 is Don Knotts on Dec 8, 2013 12:46:45 GMT -5
Sexual Sumo Yokozuna.
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