Hirohito WWE Promo (Cancelled Gimmick)

A Promo For A Cancelled Gimmick Which Would Have Involved Kenzo Suzuki Portraying Japanese Emperor Hirohito Who Would Be Coming To Get Vengeance On The Americans

[@Riptide27]

So Kenzo was originally a Japanese WWII Emperor and Heidenreich was an unfrozen nazi. How much do you wanna bet if they had gone through with these, Santino would have been named something like Benny Mussolini and they would’ve all joined a faction called “The Axis”?

[@abelbavdaz6823]

Vince actually immediately disagreed the unfrozen nazi gimmick that would be portrayed by Heidenreich and Heyman as a Jewish compared to Kenzo's cancelled gimmick (Hirohito) that was agreed then cancelled later without making him debut as Hirohito.

[@YousefTube]

@@abelbavdaz6823 speaking of which if you listen to the instrumental version of Heidenreich theme it's sounds like a military beat to it looks like they originally gave the idea of the Unfrozen Nazi to Jim Johnston make a track on it and by the time they drop the idea they end up use it on Heidenreich anyway.

[@abelbavdaz6823]

@@YousefTube cool fact I didn't know

[@MBM1117727]

Actually in OVW Santino had a Russian shoot fighter gimmick as Boris Alexiev believe it or not lol

[@DangerSideburns]

It's dimes, brother

[@SpeedyDePalma]

Because somebody in creative thought this was such good shit.

[@paulsteel9127]

No way these WW2 gimmicks would get green-lit even in 2004.

[@stingersplash]

Is it weird that I always remembered this despite only airing once? I just love one offs that just go nowhere like Hade Vansen on Smackdown. How about Mr Benjamin?

[@somnetwerk164]

Hade vansen was supposed to feed with taker

[@rickwilliams4573]

I remember Hade Vansen but don't remember this one at all

[@InternetSlumlord]

2020 and Vince still hasn't gotten over WWII

[@TimmyTickle]

This actually aired around 2004. Your point still stands

[@thehighground_]

Here it is 2022 and Vince has renamed Walter after a Nazi soldier.

[@TheLarryburns84]

@@thehighground_ yep, a U-boat captain in WWII- Gunther Stark was his name for those who don't know

[@prize5ighter]

@@TheLarryburns84 Thanks for letting me know. Glad, that WWE is reverting back him back to his previous and more menacing name (thanks to his aura and the work he has done so far), Walter.

[@albalog2449]

WWE would've probably got banned in China if they went with this gimmick. Looking at old forums, this seemed to have aired sometime in April 2004, but I can't find the exact episode. Apparently, they planned to have him feud with Chris Benoit (when he was champion) on Raw. I wasn't even watching WWE in this era, but it sounds like a very bad idea even on paper.

[@Sonicfanwerehog]

And Then they decided to go with Muhammad Hassan Angle

[@l.arandom1631]

Japan not China lol

[@albalog2449]

@@l.arandom1631 I meant China because they get offended by Japanese WW2 stuff.

[@Pikaling3408]

WWE might be banned in China quite soon I heard reports suggesting that a faction will be formed involving Asuka, Iyo and Kairi. Asuka is also known as Empress of Tomorrow and this could be perceived by China as such gimmick and therefore may ban WWE entirely or censor the faction and it's members out.

[@lonewalker9730]

This will be Okada's gimmick if he signs with WWE:

[@conspo5533]

I don’t know about you but to me this highly disturbs me, imagine if WWE actually did this gimmick with kenzo, it would’ve given them a bad rep considering they based this gimmick off a real tragedy

[@DasNordlicht91]

And yet, like about a year later, WWE went ahead with an angle where Muhammad Hassan had masked “terrorists” attack the Undertaker, on the same day as the London bombings.

[@conspo5533]

Marc Quill but it wasn’t on purpose

[@djcarameldeviljaycry4831]

Yea that episode was taped

[@rescuerex7031]

@@conspo5533 Them turning "Arab-American" (he was actually Italian) heel by making him a terrorist is totally in good taste

[@ReinEngel]

We thought this was an ad for Time Life videos about WW2... then someone pointed out it was the same announcer that did all of WWE's stuff.

[@mikeawesome9212]

Controversial stuff right there.

[@Luispbringstheheat]

I wonder what they would've done with this gimmick even though it wouldn't have made sense since he's portraying a real person who's dead

[@YousefTube]

It's not the dead person he portray listen to the guy again he says Two generations later a new leader has emerged meaning a guy from the Hirohito family is taking leadership where his grandfather was that's why you mark the return of Hirohito

[@YousefTube]

And as far as what with they've done with the gimmick simple answer a match with Sgt Slaughter on RAW and Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 21 n maybe he will be in the spot of Muhammad Hassan but lot early so eventually Undertaker is his last raid maybe also Great American Bash PPV and it's all make since Kenzo Suzuki only been in WWE for like a year n they never done anything with him except winning the tag title but who knows how they would push his original plan.

[@Luispbringstheheat]

@@YousefTube from what I heard this gimmick was cancelled for that reason which was what I said and 2. That wouldn't gotten him nowhere feuding with old timers who would probably just squash him and probably make a jobber out of him just to get their last triumphant curtain call cuz knowing this company that def would've been the likeliest of possibilities

[@jlonmims3232]

I heard that he would have been a top contender for the world championship and he would have a feud with Benoit for the championship

[@prestige515]

​@@Luispbringstheheat the gimmick was thrown out cause they found out ppl in Japan thought of Hirohito as a Hitler type, and they did not want to deal with that.

[@AcemonX]

I've always wondered about this promo at that time and I felt that it would involve Kenzo Suzuki. I felt like the promo was "graphical" at the end of it and it would end up a flop until months later new promo spots for Suzuki were shown on TV.

[@jordandill7863]

please tell me this vignette never made it to TV?

[@AcemonX]

@@jordandill7863 It did

[@ThunderTHR]

And now years later we have WALTER re-branded as "Gunther Stark". Fuck me, this company hasn't learned a damn thing, have they? Edit: Apparently he's just GUNTHER, they must've come to their senses that the latter bit was a bad idea.

[@shadyaahla5stax586]

This would've failed on the grounds that it was dumb.

[@ITSHIM1294]

In a parallel universe Hirohito and Muhammad Hassan would have created the “Pact of Steel” faction and took over WWE

[@wcw10009]

このギミックはやりすぎ。 この頃はまだ日本人レスラーへの見方が偏ってたんだろうね。

[@BZUscuro2028]

Well this was extremely racist

[@Sonicfanwerehog]

Imagine if they had this with Hassan on Raw, and Kenzo (as Hirohito) on SmackDown they build up and did a feud in Survivor Series, I wonder if they would make it out of the level

[@prowrestlingnostalgic2001]

This is disturbing...A WWII genocide as a wrestling gimmick, with all and his respective blood in his name for a promo, just disgusting.

[@KoraidonTheSandwichEater]

Scary/scary

[@albalog2449]

WWE would've probably got banned in China if they went with this gimmick.

[@morbo8777]

It had been more than 22.3 years since the incident so officially fair game to make a gimmick off.

[@CheapHeatProductionsPodcast]

This was the brainchild of wwe writer Dan Madigan who wrote see no evil Kane’s Movie . Dans appearances on my podcast discuss this and other controversial angles .

[@iyop012]

whats funny after that is that usually kenzo after he started on smackdown became someone who always says that he loves america lol how did they flip the scenario i think they just gave up on the hiro idea because of vince

[@CheapHeatProductionsPodcast]

@@iyop012 if you look at my channel and click Dan Madigan part 2 he’s the guy who wrote this he goes into details of controversial angles he has done in the business

[@bluebaron6858]

Idk but this terrifies me

[@morbo8777]

I think it would have been an interesting gimmick. He'd be a heel but with a real justifiable hatred for America and making fans uncomfortable because he had a point as its a bit of a moral grey area whether or not the bomb was justified. Definitely would make for a more complex and interesting heel.

[@brianwalters7855]

Yeah...I'm pretty sure this guy would've gotten assassinated if they went with this.

[@ECW5320]

or Tajiri when they wanted him to do a Yakuza gimmick.

[@RyboltTech]

Send Hirohito

[@keangutierrez3655]

Now do Gunther

[@Rockhound6165]

THIS was deemed inappropriate and yet Mexicans on lawn mowers, a Mexican turning his back on his culture, and a black man carrying a spear, skin shield, and headdress, and a savage Samoan was A-OK(I'd have mentioned Kamala but James Harris himself came up with that gimmick).

[@cqmorrell]

To be fair, Umaga was just a ramped up take on the Wild Samoans, his legit family.

[@philipdefibaugh5683]

They could have used Chuck Palumbo as Mussolini and John Hydenreich as Adolf Hitler and formed the "Axis of Evil".

[@robjackson4050]

while i think this was a bad idea i'd be interested to see where it went and it would get me to tune in every week just to see this gimmick and hasn't wwe honestly done worse things and apparently the issue was he was gonna be a heel so i don't know if this would work as a face

[@dylanthebiguy]

Ik that this will never happen again but im curious Aside from america AND japan being offended what would happen if wwe went thru with it? Like ALLLLLLLLLLLL the way?

[@fuckiopussigetti453]

it's hard to say. aside from jobbing to patriot type gimmicks, another comment here threw out Heidenreich and Santino in a Mussolini gimmick in a stable with him called "The Axis" probably would've did the same there but with more comedy

[@Arathor82]

Who let Russo out of his cage !?

[@TheLarryburns84]

he was in TNA during this era, this feels to me like a creation by the *other* Vince

[@fuckiopussigetti453]

​@@TheLarryburns84 Someone found the writer of this gimmick. They also said that they wrote the Heidenreich gimmick that shook Vin Mac himself

[@KoraidonTheSandwichEater]

Really?

[@TheBlindFighter]

They Should Give This To Shinsuke Nakamara

[@knowyourroleboulevard7119]

The Blind Fighter 6953 he's not intimidating enough and too vanilla.

[@scottishdanny2432]

@@knowyourroleboulevard7119 Exactly. Also, too effeminate as well.

[@knowyourroleboulevard7119]

@Last Drop Falls your comments make no sense whatsoever.

[@knowyourroleboulevard7119]

@Last Drop Falls don't accuse me of anything you know nothing about.

[@rescuerex7031]

@@knowyourroleboulevard7119 He could easily kill you, he's done MMA, and Japanese Pro Wrestling is way more physical

[@drd9918]

Back when wwf bad balls

[@rae-everything]

They cancelled the gimmick.

[@TheMoranVV]

he would be a great manager for Gunther Stark

[@TheCuadman]

this would have got over

[@DignidadBoy]

Mortal Kombat gimmick

[@TheLarryburns84]

no? Hirohito was the Japanese emperor from around 1926 to 89-ish. totally real person

[@DignidadBoy]

@@TheLarryburns84 mortal kombat

[@cqmorrell]

@@DignidadBoy You must have flunked history, huh.

[@fuckiopussigetti453]

yeah, this motherfucker should be doing tag combos with Hsu Hao

[@santoclaws5590]

@@cqmorrell mortal kombat

[@fuckiopussigetti453]

eat your hearts out JBA