The WWE revealed on Monday Night RAW this week that Solofa "Rikishi" Fatu will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2015.
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Rikishi, who wrestled under Headshrinker Fatu, The Sultan and Rikishi during his time in the WWE is a one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion and a three-time Tag Team Champion.
Rikishi, 49, rose to popularity in the WWE in the late 90s and early 2000s when he began to sport a thong and danced his way into the hearts of the WWE Universe.
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According to Wrestlingheadlines.com, it is expected that Rikishi's sons, Jimmy and Jey Uso, will induct their dad this year. The team took to Twitter to honor their father on Monday:
We heard it backstage first..tonight on #Raw, pops is the newest inductee into the @WWE Hall of Fame! #USOOOOOO @TheRealRikishi #WWEHOF
— The Usos (@WWEUsos) February 9, 2015
In honor of Rikishi joining the "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Arnold Schwarzenegger (celebrity wing) as a 2015 Hall of Famer, here is a look at five memorable moments from Rikishi during his WWE career.
5) The Stinkface: One of the moves Rikishi got over was the "stinkface" in which he'd literally use his enormous backside to his advantage. Rikishi, who wore a thong, would sit his opponents up in the corner of the ring and deliver his finisher, which saw him rub his bare buttocks all over his adversaries. It may have been the grossest, if not most unique, signature move in WWE history.
4) "I did it for da Rock": Rikishi's closest run to the top of the WWE came in 1999 when a car ran over "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at the Survivor Series. It was revealed a year later that Rikishi was the mastermind behind it, leading to a heel turn and subsequent feud with Austin and then his cousin Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
3) Fall from Grace: At Armageddon 2000, Rikishi was one of six men involved in an Armageddon Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship. The bout saw Kurt Angle retain the WWE Championship against Rikishi, The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Undertaker and Triple H, but not before a memorable spot from Rikishi. Mr. McMahon had driven a flatbed truck out to ringside to stop the match, and eventually The Undertaker chokeslammed the big man off of the cell onto the back of the truck.
2) Dancing His Way Through: Rikishi and partners Scotty 2 Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay didn't always use the ring for wrestling as sometimes it turned into a dance floor. The trio would often send the crowd into a frenzy by breaking into a dance with the big guy putting on yellow sunglasses and doing his thing. One of the most memorable moments that saw an impromptu dance session was at the 2000 Royal Rumble when all three members of Too Cool were the only ones in the ring during the 30-man Rumble Match, turning Madison Square Garden into a ball room.
1) Intercontinental Champion: The only solo gold Rikishi ever won was the Intercontinental Championship when he defeated Chris Benoit on an episode of SmackDown in June 2000. As champion, Rikishi made it to the King of the Ring finals that year before losing to Kurt Angle and he eventually dropped the gold to Val Venis on July 6. Rikishi's lone singles title was held during possibly the height of his popularity.
Rikishi is the latest inductee into the Hall of Fame and he will be honored on March 28 at the SAP Center in San Jose.
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