While professional sports have obviously become far more inclusive and diverse in recent years, pro wrestling and other forms of combat sports have long given athletes from around the world a place to show off their skills for howling audiences. As a youngin watching the WWE (then-WWF), WCW and random other southern promotions through the 1980s and ‘90s, I was wowed by muscle-bound performers from all over the globe who were just as gifted in theatrics and mic work as the homegrown U.S. superstars. In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, I’d like to show some love to the six (or so) wrestlers below that I was obsessed with as a kid in one way or another.
These athletes’ in-ring careers remain near and dear to my memories to this day, regardless of where their lives went, or my varying levels of wrestling fandom later in life. This also isn’t meant to indicate that I think pro wrestling promoters have ever been particularly thoughtful or respectful about other cultures. So with that caveat in mind, let’s head down the ring.
