Where are they?

[CorkscrewBackElbowDrop]

Where Are the Asian Wrestlers in the Wwe?
The only one is Yoshi Tatsu but he's completely buried and misused.They used to have Kung fu Naki and Jimmy Wang Yang but they have been released.

This is very surprising considering that wwe is all about the Wwe universe concept and being applicable everywhere. Yoshi feels more like a diversity hire then anything else but he is a very talented wrestler.

Am i the only one who is annoyed by this and do you think this is based on the fact the Japan and the US have vastly different wrestling styles?

 

[Ultra Awesome]

I'm not so sure if you are the only one annoyed, but I will say that it makes no difference to me whether there are Japanese wrestlers or not in the WWE. Granted, the Japanese style of wrestling is different than that of the American style and it would bring a bit of unique-ness into the WWE.

However, if you look at it in the long run, Japanese wrestlers don't usually make it very far in the WWE. We have seen examples of this in the past. Out of the top of my head, names such as Tajiri, Ultimo Dragon, Kung-Fu Naki, Kenzu Suzuki etc etc come to mind that prove my point. I'm sure we can all agree that they were descent wrestlers to say the least (most of them anyways). But the fact of the matter is, is that none of them made it very far in the WWE. Most of them reached mid-card level before ending up as jobber or ultimately, released.

It's just fact. Most Japanese wrestlers don't make it very far in the business. Is that fair? Probably not. Is it rascist? Doubt it. Is it because of the different styles of wrestling in different nations? Don't think so...as the old saying goes, "It's just the way the ball bounces"...

 

[Syborgg]

I don't mean to sound harsh, but the language barrier has alot to do with it. In order to be taken seriously in WWE these days you have to be able to speak english fairly well. WWE is a world-wide corporation, however the majority of their shows are still based in North America.

In the case of Funaki, well he couldn't speak english well and they even used that as a gimmick for a bit(Smackdown's #1 announcer), but it only took him so far. The best thing for a wrestler with limited english is the "Khali way" or like Yokozuna who always had Fuji doing the talking for them.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

I don't mean to sound harsh, but the language barrier has alot to do with it. In order to be taken seriously in WWE these days you have to be able to speak english fairly well. WWE is a world-wide corporation, however the majority of their shows are still based in North America.

In the case of Funaki, well he couldn't speak english well and they even used that as a gimmick for a bit(Smackdown's #1 announcer), but it only took him so far. The best thing for a wrestler with limited english is the "Khali way" or like Yokozuna who always had Fuji doing the talking for them.

Yoko could speak English just fine (he was American). But yeah, the language barrier is very difficult for those Japanese wrestlers to overcome. Sonny Ono got Ultimo Dragon over in WCW (along with a bunch of other Jap wrestlers) and really that is what they need. But they will never last in the main event spot today unless they can cut a promo on their own.

 

[Rayne]

If you can't speak English, your future in the WWE is a very limited one, if you even get through the front door these days. You'd need a mouthpiece, and the WWE is very frowny-faced on managers these days. They just aren't hiring people strictly as baggage for other wrestlers these days; Singh manages Khali, but he also does plenty of work backstage for WWE. Khali only gets away with it because he's huge in India/Pakistan, which is a very large developing market for the WWE.

Considering professional wrestling is more based upon drama than mock fighting these days, there isn't much a Japanese wrestler (one who speaks poor English) can offer that an Asian-American billed as Japanese couldn't.

 

[TheAbsolute1]

Asian wrestlers are great in the ring, but on the mic they just dont have it on the usual bases. Tajiri Naki Tatsu, all boring in promo or in ring segments. It goes for American wrestlers too, if you don't have mic skills then you wont make it far.

 

[Dzone]

If you can't speak English, your future in the WWE is a very limited one, if you even get through the front door these days. You'd need a mouthpiece, and the WWE is very frowny-faced on managers these days. They just aren't hiring people strictly as baggage for other wrestlers these days; Singh manages Khali, but he also does plenty of work backstage for WWE. Khali only gets away with it because he's huge in India/Pakistan, which is a very large developing market for the WWE.

Considering professional wrestling is more based upon drama than mock fighting these days, there isn't much a Japanese wrestler (one who speaks poor English) can offer that an Asian-American billed as Japanese couldn't.

Good point, they could also try this out with more Mexican and Japanese wrestlers... (granted Mexico already has Rey and now Del Rio... lol). It would eventually lead to a wider world wide audience *example being they use Yoshi Tatsu and give him a push to the IC championship? or US championship* <-- that would look odd though so IC it is lol.

 

[Rayne]

Good point, they could also try this out with more Mexican and Japanese wrestlers... (granted Mexico already has Rey and now Del Rio... lol). It would eventually lead to a wider world wide audience *example being they use Yoshi Tatsu and give him a push to the IC championship? or US championship* <-- that would look odd though so IC it is lol.

It depends on where the WWE is trying to break into. Within a couple of years I'd expect a Chinese professional wrestler coming up in the WWE; I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen one yet. (One thing that may be holding this back- an American audience, still the WWE's bread and butter, would expect a Chinese wrestler to be promoted in a stereotypical way. He'd have problems getting over without it. As well, there are nationalistic concerns on both sides of the Pacific that may hamper this.)

Mexico isn't as important to the WWE; on the one hand, they have a very vibrant wrestling scene already, and different expectations from professional wrestling than those held in the states. On the other hand, they are in the middle of a civil fucking war right now, which isn't exactly conducive to growing honest businesses. Without the civil war, the same could be said for Japan. Southern and Eastern Asia (minus Japan), Europe and Australia are all viewed by the business as underserved markets in which a US-style of professional wrestling could succeed, which is why you see TNA pushing hard in the UK, and the WWE doing two tours of Europe a year, in addition to their recent China trip and the never-ending televised career of Great Khali.

 

[Ferbian]

It hardly matters now does it? Sure some Japanese wrestlers were golden, or are golden still. I loved Tajiri when he wrestled for WWE. However, it's not like we need to have Japanese or Asian wrestlers to have a good company. Some of them are decent, but they're decent in fighting their style. I'm not sure how they would adapt to WWE's style of wrestling.

And while I wouldn't mind to see some Japanese wrestlers return to become a regular addition to WWE, it doesn't mean it'll ever happen. We got Yoshi Tatsu right now, but quite honestly he's pretty shit. He's hardly entertaining in the ring, or for that sake on the microphone.

Also, I could imagine the Asian / Japanese wrestlers choosing to be more loyal to their own companies in their own country. It's a hard thing to adapt to a whole new country i could imagine, especially with the language barrier. Also, WWE is hardly exposed to the Asian community in terms of actually going over there. They had like, what? Their first China appearance ever a few weeks ago? Hardly something I'd be interesting in working for, if I couldn't visit my home-country often.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

It's all about the money. The WWE starts expanding heavily into the European scene, and you suddenly have Sheamus and Wade Barrett holding Raw captive week after week. My guess would be that the Asian markets just don't draw as well as the European and Western markets, and a lot of that just might have to do with Japans style of wrestling. Heck, all forms of fighting were banned in China until just a short while ago, so it's not really all that surprising that the focus isn't on that area of the world. If the ratings in the Asian nations started going up on their own, I would bet you see a guy like Yoshi get sent to the top. But WWE is smart, and they'll figure out their greatest markets, and throw everything they have into them.

 

[Tequila Dave]

First of all, Yoshi Tatsu is not the only Asian wrestler in WWE, there's The Great Khali. Sorry, I'm just being difficult.

Secondly, how is Yoshi Tatsu being misused? Because he's not getting much TV time? Because he's jobbing? Because he's mainly on Superstars? Are you suggesting he should be pushed? Tatsu is fine where he is, he has almost zero charisma and someone needs to be in the lower midcard. As for wrestling ability, sure, he's good. But he's not very believable and there are much better.

Anyway, onto the question. No, I'm not really annoyed by this. Usually when foreign wrestlers hit the big time, a large part of their gimmick/identity is where they're from (or where they're billed from.) I mean, one of the very few things Tatsu has going for him at the moment is the fact his wrestling style and appearence make him somewhat unique and different compared to other WWE Superstars. If there was a sudden influx of Japanese wrestlers, many of them would stuggle to be unique from eachother and consequently they would be lost in the shuffle (despite their wrestling ability.)

Also, while some Japanese wrestlers are very talented they're generally not very charasmatic. Do be good in the WWE, you NEED charisma. NEED NEED NEED it. This, on top of the fact they're foreign, makes it somewhat hard to relate to and get behind a Japanese wrestler unless they have a really interesting style of wrestling. Bad thing is, WWE isn't a fan of the fast paced type of wrestling Japanese are used to and would most likely tone down the Japanese wrestlers.

There are probably other reasons we don't see many Asian wrestlers in the WWE currently such as language barriers. Also, WWE is obviously not high on crusierweights/the cruiserweight division and Japanese wrestlers are usually thought of as being highflyers.

 

[kittens]

Give the non-English speaking worker a manager that can talk then.

I haven't seen a lot from Yoshi Tatsu, but the potential is likely there. He might not be the managered-type of character or worker, but as mentioned before, he's among the few/only Asian guys rostered or used right now. Using the "Oh, he's Asian" path for him as a character and a worker will clearly get him nowhere, so it's probably just a creative thing as to his limited usage/jobber.

 

[NWannabe]

Dude, Yoshi Tatsu beat up Seamus for disrespecting him, shoot. I think it's more that asian wrestling style is WAY stiff compared to the 'safety oriented' wwe. That, and vince just doesn't understand various audiences. Same reason why black guys don't get the same pushes untested white talent (swagger) does.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

If Tatsu did beat up Seamus, then there is your answer... Going stiff is positively discouraged in todays WWE as injuries are too costly... If Yoshi went outside the normal "Wrestler's Court" channels and went into business for himself against Triple H's red headed love child then he is going to feel consequences in terms of push...

At the moment the Japanses market is not WWE's concern, they are building Europe and China... If WWE wanted Japanese talent they would be importing it like WCW did...

 

[cbreezy]

The japanese wrestling game is way different than in america. japan still sees professional wrestling as a sport. not sports entertainment. thats why a lot of japanese guys had pretty good runs back in the day. look at a guy like taka michinoku. he was the very first ever wwe light hevyweight champion. that was when good matches mattered more than the storylines. another good example is takeshi morrishima in roh. he had a great run as roh world champion. so the fact of the matter is, japanese are more heavily favored on what goes on in the ring and wwe wants someone who is marketable. although japan has come up with some great storylines. the nwo was a storyline that was going on in new japan pro wrestling that wcw basically stole, and the nwo was one of the most succesful things pro wrestling has ever seen