Picture and Clip of Yokozona's first match in WWF as Kokina (Before gimmick change)
- Thread starter FreshAIG
- Start date
Beautiful splash that a big man could still use as a finisher if he could do it that well.
prophecypro
Hollywood North
Yoko could move
But he was already too fat from the get go.
And cokeboy still made him champ for a year as a heel and had him go over Hogan, Savage STRONG and wasnt ready for the next guy Luger to take it off him.
I mean I guess part of him getting that kinda reign was the delay in Lex going over but in retrospect its still kinda crazy McMahon had a heel champ that long in those days and he was that weight
BlackAchilles
Veteran
Its crazy how Yoko debuted the gimmick, had a long title reign, "retired" Hogan in kayfabe, then passed on from obesity all in the span of a decade
Last edited:
Independent circuit (1998–2000)
After his WWF career ended, he performed for various independent promotions. In 1998, he wrestled for Maryland Championship Wrestling.[52] The last major appearance for Yokozuna was at October 1999's Heroes of Wrestling pay-per-view. At an estimated 760 lb (345 kg), he had not only gained the weight that he had lost, but admitted he was intentionally getting bigger, with a goal weight between 850 (386 kg) and 900 lb (408 kg), so that he would set a new record for the heaviest professional wrestler ever
So is this why Samona Joe named his real naked choke finisher the "Kokina Clutch"?
Vince always liked a legit monster fat guy heel who could move in the ring. None of them ever got to be champ like Yoko but look at how dudes like King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, Big Bossman, Kamala, Earthquake, Bam Bam Bigelow were given decent pushes over the years.
Yoko becoming champ was a shocker though especially when you think about Vince's hard-on for muscles. Lex Luger must've been a complete pain in the ass for Vince not to just put the belt on him and try to force fans to accept him as the next big thing.
From my understanding of it all, Luger just wasn't getting over enough. Vince initially wanted to give him the belt at Summerslam, but he wasn't over enough, so they tried to extend it to WM but by then Bret Hart was clearly more over, so he went back to him. Royal Rumble 1994 played a big factor, because when they did the double elimination, the crowd went crazy for Bret and booed Luger. And it was in NY, where Vince pays the most attention to feedback wise. That didn't make the final decision for him, but it's kinda what tipped the scales in Bret's favor to get the title.
Independent circuit (1998–2000)
After his WWF career ended, he performed for various independent promotions. In 1998, he wrestled for Maryland Championship Wrestling.[52] The last major appearance for Yokozuna was at October 1999's Heroes of Wrestling pay-per-view. At an estimated 760 lb (345 kg), he had not only gained the weight that he had lost, but admitted he was intentionally getting bigger, with a goal weight between 850 (386 kg) and 900 lb (408 kg), so that he would set a new record for the heaviest professional wrestler ever
Yoko seemed like a cool/fly nikka
I can't believe Vince actually made me think he was Japanese when I was a kid
I wondered if they both used it because had some deep Samoan meaning
did some googling
looks like it might mean exalted in Japanese, and it means to make an uproar in maori. best I could find
Playaz Eyez
Veteran
Looks similar to Fatu there, just bigger. Vince really made him “Japanese” smh
Yoko seemed like a cool/fly nikka
I can't believe Vince actually made me think he was Japanese when I was a kid
He had a definite swag about him. They should have let him speak more in the E.
HipHopStan
Top 113 Poster
Fan: How much do you eat?
Yoko: More than you.
I mean, as a kid, I totally bought it. 100% Now that I know he's from the same side of the family as The Rock, Rikishi, The Uso's, Roman Reigns, Haku, etc. I can totally see that too.