Ahmed Johnson admits he was "scared" working with 700 lbs WWE rival
Ahmed Johnson recently opened up about a memorable WWE moment on the October 30, 1995, episode of RAW.
Owen Hart and Yokozuna attacked 1-2-3 Kid and Razor Ramon at the end of the show. Yokozuna celebrated in the ring before being confronted by Johnson, who produced an extraordinary feat of strength by bodyslamming the former WWE Champion.
In an interview on Pounding the Meat, The Pearl River Powerhouse admitted that he was genuinely afraid before his confrontation with the then-700 lbs star:
"Yoko told me, 'I hope you can pick me up. I'm not gonna jump,'" Johnson said. "I was like, 'Okay.' I was scared, man. I was like, 'How am I gonna get this dude up in the air?' He weighed like 700 pounds (…) [Lex] Luger did it, but Luger did it when he was only like 500-something pounds. He said he wasn't gonna jump, so I just closed my eyes and grit my teeth and lifted him up as far as I could take him, man, and dumped him into a slam." [0:56 – 1:33]
As Johnson referenced, Lex Luger famously bodyslammed Yokozuna on the USS Intrepid on July 4, 1993. The Independence Day footage aired on the following day's episode of RAW.
Ahmed Johnson discusses his relationship with Yokozuna
The former Intercontinental Champion immediately received opportunities on television after joining WWE in 1995. He worked for the company for three years before leaving in 1998.
Ahmed Johnson bodyslams (hiptosses?) Yokozuna https://t.co/jVptSzCasA
Ahmed Johnson added that Yokozuna was one of many WWE Superstars who had a problem with his sudden push:
"It was rough with everybody at the beginning because here you've got this greenhorn coming off the streets getting this big push, so none of the boys appreciated that, which I don't blame them. Now I've been in the business for a while, I understand why they were so upset and jealous about it." [1:57 – 2:14]
Johnson said he and Yokozuna had "a few words one time," but they soon became friends. The former WWE rivals sometimes traveled together alongside Rikishi and Savio Vega.
Do you have any memories of Ahmed Johnson in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Pounding the Meat and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.