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WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi has provided information on how his cousin, the late great Yokozuna, differed backstage compared to his on-screen persona.
During his prime, the late Hall of Famer portrayed a Japanese sumo wrestler on WWE television. However, he is a part of the iconic Anoa'i Family. A lineage that boasts a plethora of wrestling greats from the Wild Samoans, The Rock, The Usos, and Roman Reigns.
During a recent interview with Brandon Robinson of Bally Sports, Rikishi stated how his cousin was very different from his wrestling character. He also spoke about the legend's taste in music and love for freestyle rap.
"You know, he's nothing like what you see on TV. Yoko was just a humble cat in the locker room, in and out. He was a joker, he loved Hip-hop, he loved to freestyle. One of his favorite rappers back in the day was Ice cube and Snoop Dogg. He was always like a teacher of the game, every time a new talent came through the locker room, if they wanted to learn he was there to teach." (From 1:17 to 2:28)
Despite passing away at just 34 years old, the Samoan icon carved out a legendary career for himself as he became a multi-time WWE Champion as well as a Hall of Famer.
Yokozuna was a close friend of The Undertaker
Along with various other WWE Superstars, both The Deadman and Yoko were part of the backstage group known as BSK (a.k.a Bone Street Krew).
Despite their contrasting on-screen characters, both The Undertaker and Yokozuna formed a strong friendship in the early 1990s.
Speaking on the Out of Character podcast, The Undertaker paid tribute to his friend and reminisced about their together.
"Yeah, Yoko and I were very close. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about him. It just happened to be that Yokozuna and I, were close, we spent a lot of time playing dominoes and playing cards. That’s the origins of the famous BSK, dominos, and a group of like-minded guys that hang out together." (H/T Wrestling Inc)
Although Yoko has been gone for over 20 years, his personality and in-ring accolades are remembered to this day.
What are your thoughts on the former WWE Champion's time in WWE? Sound off in the comments below.
Please credit Bally Sports and add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.
