5 WWE superstars who had foreign gimmicks, but were American

#2 Former WWE superstar Baron Von Raschke

Baron Von Raschke wrestled in WWE from time to time and is well-known as one of the greatest foreign heels in American wrestling. Von Raschke played a Nazi, often goose-stepped in the ring and finished opponents with the Brainclaw.

He wrestled many matches in WWE, including a match against Bruno Sammartino, who held the WWE Championship at that point.

The man behind the gimmick, James Raschke, was born in Omaha, Nebraska and has always been, by all opinions, a mild-mannered man outside the ring. Inside the ring, however, he was hated to an unprecedented extent.

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#1 WWE Hall of Famer The Original Sheik

The Original Sheik was one of the greatest box office attractions in the history of professional wrestling. An innovator and icon of the hardcore style of wrestling later popularized by FMW and ECW, Sheik won the United States Championship (no relation with the current WWE United States Championship) in WWE.

The Sheik feuded against the likes of Bruno Sammartino, whom he faced three times at Madison Square Garden. In another series of matches against Sammartino in Boston, the duo sold out the arena the day after a severe snowstorm.

The Sheik portrayed a wealthy Syrian with no concern for the well-being of him and his opponents. The man behind the gimmick, Edward Farhat, was not only an American, but a World War II veteran.