Yokozuna thread

[Rollermacka]

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This is a wrestler that I wanted to do a post on and kinda touch on his career and his death. I watched a legends round table discussion about big men in the WWE and his name was tossed around as the next "Andre the Giant" in the WWE. They talked about how he was made into this specticle and they talked about how he was one of the heaviest men to ever wrestle. I read that one of the reasons he was released was because he started to put on even more weight as you can tell comparing him in this match to his earlier WWE run as champ. Did the WWE attempt to help him lose the weight before and after his release? I've read that many wrestlers have been released because they began to put on weight. Considering how unhealthy America is becoming do they offer anything to help them so that they dont end up eventually having a heart attack and dying like Yoko did?

[Anybody Thrilla]

I don't know about anyone trying to help him lose weight, but I'll share this...

My grandma once met Yokozuna in an airport in Atlanta. She said he was incredibly nice, and he had a bunch of overweight kids with him. Anyway, she got an autograph for my cousin and me, which was cool.

He was always quite agile for his size and beleiveable as an unstoppable monster. I loved when he teamed with Owen Hart, but his face run was pretty wack.

[thedamndest]

Were they his overweight kids? Why would he be traveling with a pack of fat kids?

[Favre4Ever]

There was this show called "Playmakers" that ran for a season in like 2003 that was sort of a drama about the inside dealings on a professional football team, not sure if anyone remembers this. Anyhow, like halfway in the season one of the offensive lineman was informed by the team doctor that he was diabetic, and it was likely because of his weight gain. When he told the offensive coordinator about this news and that he wanted to drop some weight, the coordinator essentially said this: "You can take care of your health, or you can play football."

Now football is also a sport that often cuts talent for being WAY too out of shape, though you would never tell if you took a long hard look at Vince Wilfork. Wrestling is sort of the same way I think-they'll cut you when your weight is dangerous enough that it could negatively affect the organization, but they certainly have an "ideal" weight for spectacles like Rikishi and Viscera and Yokozuna. And I think it's safe to say that its's well above healthy standards.

This might be a BS comparison but it's just an opinion.

[Favre4Ever]

If Vince was paying out of his pocket for X-Pac's drug rehab, I'd certainly like to think that he would offer to pay money to help someone like this get healthy.

[Favre4Ever]

Were they his overweight kids? Why would he be traveling with a pack of fat kids?

I was gonna make a "he was just fattening them up to eat them" joke but I suppose I'll refrain since the starting post touches on a serious subject.

[Vastardikai]

Vince giving a shit about former emp... Independent Contractors is a recent phenomenon, arising as a fortunate extension from either Eddie's death or the Benoit tragedy.

Yoko was long dead by the time this became the norm.

[Gerard]

I remember a while back reading something that said when Yoko started WWE encouraged him to gain weight and early on he had his tights padded out to make him look much larger than he was. The padding obviously disappeared after a while as he gained a load of weight.

Dunno how much truth to that there is but wouldn't suprise me in the least.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Were they his overweight kids? Why would he be traveling with a pack of fat kids?

Yes, his kids. Thought that was pretty much implied.

[Nicky Fives]

A great performer whom I appreciated immensely...... my 6th fave of all-time

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

he was my 7.5th favourite