3 WWE Superstars whose accents were fake and 2 whose are real

WWE has a very diverse pool of wrestlers, who have joined the company from all over the world. The range of Superstars in the company today is wider than ever. There has been an appropriate representation of different backgrounds and each Superstar has their own distinct style.

This rings true for their speaking style as well. WWE Superstars, these days, do not generally speak with a fake accent, which has made their promos more authentic. But in the past, some stars were made to speak differently than they normally do.

This was due to various directions their characters went towards, with only a few accents sticking over time. There are also some WWE Superstars whose accents might seem made up, but are actually real. Regardless, all of them are memorable in their own ways.

Here are three WWE Superstars whose accents were fake, and two whose are real.

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#5 Santino Marella's Italian accent (Fake)

One of the greatest comedy characters in WWE history.

As one of the most beloved comedy characters in WWE history, Santino Marella managed to make a career out of his fake accent. Instead of WWE presenting him as the Canadian that he is, they went all-in on making Santino an Italian. Santino even made his debut on a 2007 episode of RAW in Milan, Italy.

Vince McMahon picked somebody from the crowd to face Umaga for the Intercontinental Championship, with Santino being in the audience. After being picked, he stated that he was from San Fili, Calabria to a roar of cheers from the Italian fans.

What came next was dubbed the 'Milan Miracle', as Santino pinned Umaga to win the Intercontinental title on his WWE debut. It may have been solely thanks to Bobby Lashley's interference, but it was still a shocking moment, nevertheless. Santino Marella's Italian accent, over time, became even more over the top, in WWE.

He remained a consistent part of WWE's lower card, taking part in some memorable moments where he was usually the butt of the joke. It is commendable that Santino Marella kept the fake accent for seven whole years.

#4 Becky Lynch's Irish accent (Real)

The Man turned into a fantastic promo cutter.

WWE has had quite a few Irish wrestlers over the years, and pretty successful ones as well. Sheamus and Finn Balor are both accomplished names, but WWE's biggest Irish star has to be Becky Lynch.

However, it was her origins that proved to be a stumbling block for her progress. One of the most unique aspects about her, The Man's accent, is completely authentic and gives her promos a certain charm. This endeared the fans towards Lynch, even if it did not have a lot of fans backstage in WWE. Some found it annoying and difficult to understand.

Kevin Dunn, WWE's Executive Vice President, apparently hated Lynch's accent back in 2016. This may have severely curtailed her push, as she did not receive much TV time in the coming year or so. Becky Lynch did break out in a massive way in 2018, becoming a major player in WWE through her excellent character work.

The Man did so while retaining her accent, and considering how good her promos became, it is fair to say that Becky Lynch's speaking style was far from the problem. WWE perhaps needs to let their biggest stars continue to be themselves on TV.

#3 Kofi Kingston's Jamaican accent (Fake)

Kofi Kingston started off in WWE as a Jamaican.

Before embracing his Ghanaian roots and returning to his home country as the WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston began his journey in the company as a 'Jamaican'. Everything about his character had a Caribbean flavor, with some of the more obvious aspects remaining to this day.

This came as a result of Kofi being unable to portray a Ghanaian character on WWE TV, due to a similar character already being in Ring of Honor at the time. He eventually tried out a Jamaican accent, after having listened to a Damian Marley album.

This accent got the New Day member a spot in WWE, but it was awkward and problematic, to say the least. Kofi Kingston had received severe backlash for adopting the Jamaican shtick. He told Lilian Garcia on the 'Chasing Glory' podcast that he dropped it after doing an entire interview with the BBC in character.

The Jamaican persona was brought up in an in-ring promo before Bragging Rights 2009. After Kofi spoke with a normal tone without much fanfare, Triple H cheekily asked him "aren't you supposed to be Jamaican?". This quick non-kayfabe interaction was pretty funny. But it was a relief for many fans that Kofi Kingston's Jamaican accent was firmly in the rearview mirror.

#2 AJ Styles' Southern accent (Real)

He's a Southern boy with the farmer strength.

WWE has had many wrestlers put on fake Southern accents, in the past and recently. Examples include Dusty Rhodes and Lacey Evans, with Vince McMahon attempting to get Luke Harper to speak that way as well last year. But some Superstars in WWE have Southern accents that are genuine.

AJ Styles is one of them, having spent the majority of his life in Georgia. He fought through the stereotypes of being a Southern 'rassler, eventually becoming one of the most talented wrestlers in history. Styles' natural accent remained, even after he signed for WWE in early 2016.

His promo work is decent, with his speaking style not being a distraction. Styles makes up for any shortcomings in that regard, which are admittedly limited, with his incredible in-ring skills. The Southern accent has not held him back, with the Phenomenal One becoming a 2-time WWE Champion.

This goes to show that as long as a Superstar has talent, a natural Southern accent shouldn't necessarily spell doom for a WWE Superstar.

#1 Lana's Russian accent (Fake)

Lana gradually dropped her fake accent over time.

WWE's most recent Russian act was Lana, who was the valet of the 'Bulgarian Brute', Rusev. Having spent her early years living in Latvia, it seemed plausible that Lana would be able to pull off a Russian accent. And she did so, with the tone coming to her naturally.

The 'Ravishing Russian' was a reliable speaker, serving brilliantly as Rusev's mouthpiece. The two of them took WWE by storm in 2014 and 2015, with their debut year culminating in the former 3-time United States Champion entering WrestleMania in a tank. That was how over Rusev and Lana's act got.

But since then, in the transition away from the Russian persona, Lana's accent has been all over the place. She started applying more of her natural style to her promos, drifting away from the Russian accent. It was a combination of Lana, both in WWE and in real-life.

She eventually used the accent lesser and lesser, before completely dropping it. Lana took quite some time to eventually drop the accent, showing how ingrained it has been in her WWE persona. Lana has been using her natural accent on-screen for around a year now, ever since she and Bobby Lashley got together.