Throughout the years, there have been many wrestlers that come and go in the WWE locker room. In the mid-2000s especially, the mid-card was so massive that wrestlers would be here one week, and gone the next without much explanation from the promotion.
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One of those names was the aptly-named Jimmy Wang Yang. Previously named Akio, he had a stint in the WWE from 2003 to 2005, mostly toiling in the midcard and in a tag team with Tajiri. After being released and spending some time in Ring of Honor, he returned the following year with a new Cowboy gimmick, which delighted fans and upset some others.
10 His Character Was A Shot At Stereotypes
In August 2006, the WWE began airing vignettes for a character dubbed 'Jimmy Wang Yang'. Dressed as a cowboy and sporting a bushy mustache, he regularly downplayed Asian stereotypes, and wondered why he wasn't viewed as a redneck, of which he was very proud.
The character was interesting, and surprising to see him downplay stereotypes in his early vignettes. Part of the reason why it was so surprising is that WWE has made a very bad habit of having characters who are nothing more than stereotypes in the past.
9 He First Feuded With Shane Helms
At the end of September, Jimmy Wang Yang made his in-ring debut in a loss to Sylvan, who cheated to pull off the victory. Despite starting off his WWE on the wrong foot, he quickly zeroed in on the Cruiserweight Champion, Shane Helms.
By that December, Yang was number one contender, and even got a title shot against Helms at Armageddon. Sadly, he came up short, and once again lost in a Cruiserweight Open at No Way Out a few months later.
8 Challenged Chavo Guerrero For Gold
At No Way Out 2007, Chavo Guerrero was the one to win the title in the Cruiserweight Open. After spending a few months in the mid-card, Jimmy Wang Yang felt ready to challenge the champion, and felt this was the time for him to finally capture gold.
After feuding for a few months, Yang finally got his title shot at Vengeance: Night of Champions. Sadly, he once again came up short, this time losing to Guerrero in an entertaining match after ten minutes. Funnily enough, the Cruiserweight Championship match was the second-longest match on the card, only being beaten out by Edge vs. Batista.
7 He Lost To Hornswoggle
Despite losing multiple championship matches in a row, Jimmy Wang Yang remained near the top of the card. One month after losing to Chavo Guerrero, he was once again inserted into a Cruiserweight Open at The Great American Bash pay-per-view.
That pay-per-view is known partially for having the last major Cruiserweight Championship match. During the match, Hornswoggle emerged from the bottom of the ring and pinned Jamie Noble to win the title after a frog splash. The championship was deactivated two months later.
6 Torrie Wilson Was His Valet
One of the most forgotten things of Jimmy Wang Yang's tenure in the WWE was his alliance with Hall of Famer Torrie Wilson. In June 2007, the WWE draft saw the women's star drafted from Raw to SmackDown, where she began working as a valet for the former cruiserweight contender.
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This alliance saw the duo placed in a brief feud with Kenny Dykstra and Victoria, where Yang and Wilson were victorious. Within a few months of their pairing beginning, they were separated. The reasoning being that Wilson wanted to wind down her in-ring career.
5 Tag Team With Shannon Moore
Following the ending of his pairing with Torrie Wilson, Jimmy Wang Yang engaged in a feud with Deuce 'n' Domino. While he was able to defeat one of the tag team members at a time, the former cruiserweight title challenger needed a partner. That partner turned out to be Shannon Moore.
The pair defeated Deuce 'n' Domino in a match, and then pinned the then tag team champions John Morrison and The Miz to earn a title shot. They eventually secured a title shot in a Fifteen Minutes of Fame match a few months later, where the champions retained.
4 Suspended Due To Drug Test
A few months of after their failed bid for the titles, Jimmy Wang Yang was in an alright spot. While no title opportunity was on the horizon, he was still liked by fans, and the company viewed him as a solid and reliable talent.
Sadly, that reputation was wiped out with a positive drug test in June 2008. Yang was only handed a 30-day suspension at the time, but this was ultimately the beginning of the end of his run in the WWE.
3 Tag Team With Slam Master J
Upon making his return after testing positive, Jimmy Wang Yang began moving down the card. Instead of being used on Raw or SmackDown, he was mostly relegated to Superstars, where he was being used as an enhancement talent.
A year later, Yang began a tag team with Slam Master J, also known as Jesse from his previous tag team with Festus, also known as Luke Gallows. Sadly, this tag team didn't work out for either man.
2 Released in 2010
The tag team with Slam Master J and Jimmy Wang Yang almost exclusively appeared on Superstars, and lost the majority of the time. In April 2010, the company decided to pull the trigger and release both men.
Over the next decade, Yang had a cup of coffee with TNA and All Japan Pro Wrestling. However, he instead mostly focused on opening up his own wrestling school, as he could help coach the next generation of talent.
1 Returned As a Producer in 2021
In October 2021, Jimmy Wang Yang made his return to the WWE. However, he wasn't going to be showing up on Raw or SmackDown, instead, he would work behind the scenes as a producer. Many former talents have been used in the role over the last few years.
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Sadly, the reunion was short-lived, as Yang was out of the company by 2022. Although, he still seems happy to work on the independent scene every once in a while, as well as work at his wrestling school.
