To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
WWE legend Rikishi has revealed how an ‘old lady’ in the crowd is directly responsible for one of wrestling’s most disgusting moves.
The 58-year-old Hall of Famer is known by fans around the world for the Stink Face, which left wrestlers in the Attitude Era and beyond terrified as the Samoan star’s large backside came towards them.
‘When it came to the Stink Face, I can’t take credit for that. There was an old lady,’ he exclusively told Metro.co.uk as he reflected on his outrageous signature move.
He recalled facing late wrestler Big Boss Man, real name Ray Traylor, in the early 2000s on an untelevised ‘house show’ when Rikishi had just started wearing a thong on television.
‘I give [him] my comeback, I had no idea that Boss Man fell in the corner, which we know today is the Stink Face position,’ he said. ‘And when he fell in a corner, I was looking the opposite way.
‘And as I was looking opposite way, this is 15,000 people sold out, and all I can hear was a voice yelling out like, “Rikishi! Turn around and stick your butt in his face!” ‘
The Stink Face is one of wrestling’s most infamous moves (Picture: WWE)
The former Intercontinental Champion, whose sons Solo Sikoa and Jimmy and Jey Uso are all major WWE superstars today, tried to find the lone voice in the crowd, which led to the now-iconic stare he would do before the move.
‘I knew it was in front row someplace,’ he said. ‘And I keep hearing this lady, “go ahead, stick your ass in his face, stick your butt in his face”. And so I’m looking at you, I see you, I go to take one step first.
‘And I can hear a crowd just – it feels like a volcano is gonna erupt. I say, “Wait a minute.” Here’s where your training kicks in. So I said, let me take another step. So I take another slow step. It starts to rise and by the time I took the third step, I’ll tell you, it’s like I had all 15,000 people in the tip of my fingers now.’
He edged closer to his opponent, but still had no real plan for what to do once he got there.
The Hall of Famer took inspiration from an unexpected source (Picture: WWE)
‘This is where, as a professional wrestler, you learn how to adapt towards your craft. Sometimes you stumble onto something that can become huge,’ he explained.
‘And the closer I got to the Big Boss Man – now keep in mind, I’ve never stuck my butt in anybody’s face. And the closer I got, bless his heart Big Boss Man. I went and the crowd was so, so, so loud. He says “Turn around baby! Turn around! We got him now!”
‘And then I’m like, “Turn around? Turn around and then what?” As soon as I turned around, he says “Stick your booty in my face!” ‘
He can still remember that ‘sweaty’ first Stink Face in Mobile, Alabama, and by the time Rikishi got to Monday Night Raw the next night, word had spread and it was time to perform it on live TV for the first time.
Rikishi has been part of some of wrestling’s most iconic moments (Picture: WWE)
‘And the rest was history,’ he laughed. ‘Every single top star, I knew then that meant everybody up and down that roster – nobody’s safe. So I had a lot of real good new friends at the time!’
Rikishi admitted there were actual safety concerns with the move, mainly to do with his large frame coming into contact with someone at that height.
‘I was just concerned about 450 on their neck. And so when I tell them how to take it, I’ll tell them what kind of chin up underneath second turnbuckle because I’m wide anyway, so people can’t really [see],’ he revealed.
‘I’d say, just turn your face. But as we see it on the videos, some of them didn’t turn their face. I couldn’t help them there!’
Rikishi – who revealed he kept his bottom ‘powder fresh’ for the move – joked that he ‘sometimes felt violated’ when certain performers ‘took the move like champs’.
The move has endured, with even the likes of Rhea Ripley performing it on house shows earlier this year, and the man behind the Stink Face is delighted by its legacy.
‘I tried not to eat anything that would give me a weak stomach before I go out there to do the Stink Face,’ he teased. ‘It’s all a lot of love, fun and entertainment for everyone.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.