History Wrestling / Yokozuna

* LegacyCharacter: [[Characters/WWENewGeneration Rikishi]]'s Samoan [=Sumo=] gimmick had similarities to Yokozuna.

* ArchEnemy: (as a heel): Wrestling/HulkHogan, Wrestling/TheUndertaker

* ArchEnemy: (as a heel): Wrestling/HulkHogan, Wrestling/BretHart, Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan, Wrestling/LexLuger, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, [[Wrestling/JohnTenta Earthquake]]; (as a face): Wrestling/{{Vader}}, Owen Hart

* HeelFaceTurn: After his manager Wrestling/JimCornette sided with [=Vader=] in early 1996.

* MightyGlacier: Of a sort. While he generally did not move very quickly, often because he did not ''need'' to, and it took a lot for his opponents to knock him down, it should be noted that the Undertaker claimed in 2002 in WWE's special ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}} X-8'' magazine, in an article about UT's streak to that point, that Yoko "was as agile as a cat."[[note]]Yoko defeated UT in a casket match at the 1994 ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble'', which, in the storyline, was why UT missed WMX.[[/note]].

'''Rodney Anoa'i''' (1966-2000) was a [=Samoan=]-American {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er best known for his time in Wrestling/{{WWE}} from 1992-1996 as '''Yokozuna'''. His [[TheGimmick gimmick]] was of a former champion [=Sumo=] wrestler. He was a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE Champion]] and a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Champion]] with Wrestling/OwenHart. He started his career in the 1980s, first making an impression as Kokina Maximus in the Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation, where he [[{{Kayfabe}} broke Greg Gagne's leg]] and ended his career. He also wrestled in the Continental territory in Alabama and in the UWA promotion in Mexico, where he co-held the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/mexico/uwa/uwa-6.html UWA World Trios Title]] with Fatu (Rikishi) and the Samoan Savage (Sam "The Tonga Kid"/"Islander Tama" Fatu.) He made his WWE TV debut in October 1992 and left after ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'' in November 1996. He was a member of the famous WildSamoan WrestlingFamily. He was inducted into the [=WWE=] Hall of Fame in 2012.

* ArchEnemy: (as a heel): Wrestling/HulkHogan, Wrestling/BretHart, Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan, Lex Luger, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, [[Wrestling/JohnTenta Earthquake]]; (as a face): Wrestling/{{Vader}}, Owen Hart

!!! "Banzai Tropes":

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Squashing Virgil in his [=PPV=] debut at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1992''.

* LegacyCharacter: [[Characters/WWEAttitude Rikishi]]'s Samoan [=Sumo=] gimmick had similarities to Yokozuna.

* ArchEnemy: (as a heel): Wrestling/HulkHogan, Wrestling/BretHart, Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan, Lex Luger, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, [[Wrestling/JohnTenta Earthquake]]; (as a face): Wrestling/{{Vader}}, Wrestling/OwenHart

* HeelFaceTurn: After his manager Wrestling/JimCornette sided with Wrestling/{{Vader}} in early 1996.

* MightyGlacier: Of a sort. While he generally did not move very quickly, often because he did not ''need'' to, and it took a lot for his opponents to knock him down, it should be noted that Wrestling/TheUndertaker claimed in 2002 in WWE's special ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}} X-8'' magazine, in an article about UT's streak to that point, that Yoko "was as agile as a cat."[[note]]Yoko defeated UT in a casket match at the 1994 ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble'', which, in the storyline, was why UT missed WMX.[[/note]].
* ShoutOut: Received one on the November 6, 2000 ''[[{{Wrestling/WWERaw}} Raw]]''. Wrestling/TheUndertaker defeated Val Venis, and celebrated the win by opening his vest to show that he was wearing a Yokozuna T-shirt in tribute, as Yoko had passed away on October 22.

* WildSamoan
* Website/{{WrestleCrap}}: Two inductions:
** The "RAW Bowl" Four-Way Elimination Tag Match from the January 1 (taped December 18, 1995), 1996 ''Raw'', with [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Champions]] the Smokin Gunns defeating Owen/Yoko, [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]][=/=]Savio Vega and Sycho Sid[=/=][[Wrestling/SeanWaltman The 1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman)]] in a match designed like a football game.
** The infamous ''Heroes of Wrestling'' [=PPV=] was originally supposed to have a main event of Yoko vs. Wrestling/KingKongBundy. However, [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]]' infamous drunken performance in his "match" with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart got it hastily turned into a tag match, with Bundy/Neidhart vs. Jake/Yoko. The monsters were tagged in, with Bundy splashing and pinning Jake, who wasn't the legal man, and the ref quickly counting to three to end the whole mess. Yoko never even got into the ring (see FatBastard above), and the show went off the air some 22 minutes ahead of schedule without even a farewell from the announcers.

'''Rodney Anoa'i''' (1966-2000) was a [=Samoan=]-American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]] best known for his time in Wrestling/{{WWE}} from 1992-1996 as '''Yokozuna'''. His [[TheGimmick gimmick]] was of a former champion [=Sumo=] wrestler. He was a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE Champion]] and a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Champion]] with Wrestling/OwenHart. He started his career in the 1980s, first making an impression as Kokina Maximus in the Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation, where he [[{{Kayfabe}} broke Greg Gagne's leg]] and ended his career. He also wrestled in the Continental territory in Alabama and in the UWA promotion in Mexico, where he co-held the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/mexico/uwa/uwa-6.html UWA World Trios Title]] with Fatu (Rikishi) and the Samoan Savage (Sam "The Tonga Kid"/"Islander Tama" Fatu.) He made his WWE TV debut in October 1992 and left after ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'' in November 1996. He was a member of the famous WildSamoan WrestlingFamily. He was inducted into the [=WWE=] Hall of Fame in 2012.

!!! Tropes Associated with YOKOZUNA:

* LegacyCharacter: Rikishi's Samoan [=Sumo=] gimmick had similarities to Yokozuna.

** The infamous ''Heroes of Wrestling'' [=PPV=] was originally supposed to have a main event of Yoko vs. Wrestling/KingKongBundy. However, [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]]' infamous drunken performance in his "match" with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart got it hastily turned into a tag match, with Bundy/Neidhart vs. Jake/Yoko. The monsters were tagged in, with Bundy splashing and pinning Jake, who wasn't the legal man, and the ref quickly counting to three to end the whole mess. Yoko never even got into the ring (see FatBastard above), and the show went off the air some 22 minutes ahead of schedule without even a farewell from the announcers.
** The "RAW Bowl" Four-Way Elimination Tag Match from the January 1 (taped December 18, 1995), 1996 ''Raw'', with [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Champions]] the Smokin Gunns defeating Owen/Yoko, [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]][=/=]Savio Vega and Sycho Sid[=/=]The 1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman) in a match designed like a football game.

* FakeNationality: A [=Samoan=]-American playing a Japanese wrestler.
** The fans taunted Yokozuna by chanting U-S-A during his ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}} IX'' match with Wrestling/BretHart. Ironic and funny, as in real life Yoko was American, Bret is not.

The infamous ''Heroes of Wrestling'' [=PPV=] was originally supposed to have a main event of Yoko vs. Wrestling/KingKongBundy. However, [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]]' infamous drunken performance in his "match" with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart got it hastily turned into a tag match, with Bundy/Neidhart vs. Jake/Yoko. The monsters were tagged in, with Bundy splashing and pinning Jake, who wasn't the legal man, and the ref quickly counting to three to end the whole mess. Yoko never even got into the ring (see FatBastard above), and the show went off the air some 22 minutes ahead of schedule without even a farewell from the announcers.

!! Tropes Associated with YOKOZUNA:

** In Japan, Akebono used the Banzai Drop for a time as a tribute to him.

The infamous ''Heroes of Wrestling'' [=PPV=] was originally supposed to have a main event of Yoko vs. Wrestling/KingKongBundy. However, [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]]' infamous drunken performance in his "match" with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart got hastily turned into a tag match, with Bundy/Neidhart vs. Jake/Yoko. The monsters were tagged in, with Bundy splashing and pinning Jake, who wasn't the legal man, and the ref quickly counting to three to end the whole mess. Yoko never even got into the ring (see FatBastard above), and the show went off the air some 22 minutes ahead of schedule without even a farewell from the announcers.

** The "RAW Bowl" Four-Way Elimination Tag Match from the January 1 (taped December 18, 1995), 1996 ''Raw'', with [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Champions]] the Smokin Gunns defeating Owen/Yoko, [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]][=/=]SavioVega and Sycho Sid[=/=]The 1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman) in a match designed like a football game.

* Website/{{WrestleCrap}}: The infamous ''Heroes of Wrestling'' [=PPV=] was originally supposed to have a main event of Yoko vs. King Kong Bundy. However, [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]]' infamous drunken performance in his "match" with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart got hastily turned into a tag match, with Bundy/Neidhart vs. Jake/Yoko. The monsters were tagged in, with Bundy splashing and pinning Jake, who wasn't the legal man, and the ref quickly counting to three to end the whole mess. Yoko never even got into the ring (see FatBastard above), and the show went off the air some 22 minutes ahead of schedule without even a farewell from the announcers.

** ForeignWrestlingHeel: Oh was he ever, easily the best one of the mid-1990s.

* WildSamoan

'''Rodney Anoaʻi''' (1966-2000) was a [=Samoan=]-American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]] best known for his time in Wrestling/{{WWE}} from 1992-1996 as '''Yokozuna'''. His [[TheGimmick gimmick]] was of a former champion [=Sumo=] wrestler. He was a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE Champion]] and a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Champion]] with Wrestling/OwenHart. He started his career in the 1980s, first making an impression as Kokina Maximus in the Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation, where he [[{{Kayfabe}} broke Greg Gagne's leg]] and ended his career. He also wrestled in the Continental territory in Alabama and in the UWA promotion in Mexico, where he co-held the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/mexico/uwa/uwa-6.html UWA World Trios Title]] with Fatu (Rikishi) and the Samoan Savage (Sam "The Tonga Kid"/"Islander Tama" Fatu.) He made his TV debut in October 1992 and left after ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'' in November 1996. He was a member of the famous WildSamoan WrestlingFamily. He was inducted into the [=WWE=] Hall of Fame in 2012.

!! Tropes Associated with YOKOZUNA

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Squashing Virgil in his PPV debut at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1992''.

** The fans taunted Yokozuna by chanting U-S-A during his ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}} IX'' match with Bret Hart. Ironic and funny, as in real life Yoko was American, Bret is not.

* MightyGlacier: Of a sort. He generally did not move fast, often because he did not ''need'' to, and it took a lot for his opponents to knock him down, but Wrestling/TheUndertaker claimed in 2002 in WWE's special ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}} X-8'' magazine, in an article about UT's streak to that point, that Yoko "was as agile as a cat."[[note]]Yoko defeated UT in a casket match at the 1994 ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble'', which, in the storyline, was why UT missed WMX.[[/note]].

* ArchEnemy: (as a heel): Wrestling/HulkHogan, Wrestling/BretHart, Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan, Lex Luger, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, [[{{Wrestling/JohnTenta}} Earthquake]]; (as a face): Wrestling/{{Vader}}

** The fans taunted Yokozuna by chanting U-S-A during his Wrestlemania IX match with Bret Hart. Ironic and funny, as in real life Yoko was American, Bret is not.

* MightyGlacier: Of a sort. He generally did not move fast, often because he did not ''need'' to, and it took a lot for his opponents to knock him down, but Wrestling/TheUndertaker claimed in 2002 in WWE's special ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}} X-8'' magazine, in an article about UT's streak to that point, that Yoko "was as agile as a cat."[[note]]Yoko defeated UT in a casket match at the 1994 ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble'', which, in the storyline, was why UT missed WMX[[/note]].

[[caption-width-right:255:As [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE World Heavyweight Champion]]]]

'''Rodney Anoaʻi''' (1966-2000) was a [=Samoan=]-American [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]] best known for his time in Wrestling/{{WWE}} from 1992-1996 as '''Yokozuna'''. His [[TheGimmick gimmick]] was of a former champion [=Sumo=] wrestler. He was a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE World Heavyweight Champion]] and a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Champion]] with Wrestling/OwenHart. He started his career in the 1980s, first making an impression as Kokina Maximus in the Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation, where he [[{{Kayfabe}} broke Greg Gagne's leg]] and ended his career. He also wrestled in the Continental territory in Alabama and in the UWA promotion in Mexico, where he co-held the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/mexico/uwa/uwa-6.html UWA World Trios Title]] with Fatu (Rikishi) and the Samoan Savage (Sam "The Tonga Kid"/"Islander Tama" Fatu.) He made his TV debut in October 1992 and left after ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'' in November 1996. He was a member of the famous WildSamoan WrestlingFamily. He was inducted into the [=WWE=] Hall of Fame in 2012.

* MightyGlacier

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: squashing Virgil in his PPV debut at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1992''.

* ArchEnemy: (as a heel): Wrestling/HulkHogan, Wrestling/BretHart, Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, [[{{Wrestling/JohnTenta}} Earthquake]]; (as a face): Wrestling/{{Vader}}
* AssKicksYou: The Banzai Drop.

* FinishingMove: The Banzai Drop

** ForeignWrestlingHeel: Oh was he ever, easily the premier one of the mid-1990s.

** ForeignWrestlingHeel: Oh was he ever, easily the premiere one of the mid-1990s.

** (in the UWA in Mexico): The Hawaiian Beasts

[[quoteright:255:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yokozuna_6149.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:255:As [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE World Heavyweight Champion]]]]

* ForeignWrestlingHeel: Oh was he ever, easily the premiere one of the mid-1990s.
* TheGiant

** (in the UWA in Mexico): The Hawaiian Beasts
* WrestlingMonster

* ArchEnemy: (as a heel): Wrestling/HulkHogan, Wrestling/BretHart, Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan, Wrestling/TheUndertaker; (as a face): Wrestling/{{Vader}}