5 WWE superstars who had foreign gimmicks, but were American
WWE has long used foreign gimmicks to build villainous characters. Said villains build up easy heat by insulting the United States and its citizens on a weekly basis. Some were provided with monstrous pushes to collect victories over multiple mid-card Americans on the company's roster before an All-American babyface arrived to protect his nation's pride and defeat the foreign heel.
This concept has been used by the company over and over again to a point that yet another would feel tedious. While WWE managed to successfully tell a story with Rusev, the foreign heel gimmick has mostly become stale and offensive to a modern-day audience.
Sad day for America and WWE Universe,Rusev as US Heavyweight Champion makes me sick,John Cena where are you when we need you brother. HH
Rusev was a Bulgarian citizen when he portrayed a Russian/Bulgarian villain gimmick. However, in many cases, WWE used Americans to play such roles. In the days before the internet, fans would have limited ways to know where these wrestlers actually lived and it was easy to believe them as nefarious enemies of the nation, easy to hate.
Here is a list of 5 WWE superstars who played foreign gimmicks, but were American.
#5 Former WWE superstar Kamala
Kamala was a big influence to me and my brother growing up when he worked for Paul Boesch.
I got to work with him on the independent scene. He was always a cool guy. RIP.
#RIPKamala #Kamala #WWE https://t.co/uziwv1gXhg
Kamala wasn't an anti-American heel, he was billed from the Ugandan jungles and was originally introduced as a former bodyguard of Idi Amin. The character was problematic, but the talent of James Arthur Harris made it work.
Harris was a gigantic human being and through his character work, he managed to make the unrealistic character a success story. While he never managed to win a major championship in WWE, he faced top stars such as The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and even Bryan Danielson in a late-career hidden gem.