WWE.com has a new “Where are they now?” article up with former WWE star Jimmy Wang Yang. Yang competed for WWE from 2003 to 2010 as both Jimmy Wang Yang and as Akio. Here is an excerpt from the interview where Yang tells the story of how he became Jimmy Wang Yang:
“I was trying to impress this really hot blonde,” he said. “Get some free tickets and stuff. I was saying hello to everyone, when I crossed paths with Mr. McMahon. He was like, ‘Jimmy, where the hell have you been?'”
Yang explained that he had been released, which surprised Mr. McMahon. The WWE Chairman told the highflier that they’d talk about that later and continued about his business. Shortly after, while Yang was eating with some of his friends, producers came up to him urgently, saying they needed him to test out an idea they had for the pay-per-view.
“[A WWE Producer] said, ‘Mr. McMahon, do you think Jimmy should do that? He’s not under contract,'” Yang told WWE.com.
“[Mr. McMahon said], ‘Well, he should be under contract! Let him do it!”
The WWE Chairman’s interest in Yang led to him getting rehired almost on the spot. They also gave him the opportunity to let his inner redneck come out. Growing up in Georgia gave Yun a thick southern accent, making the Jimmy Wang Yang persona a perfect fit.
To read the full article, click here.