"They're f**king mad at us" - Vince McMahon nixed WWE character's debut after a royal family allegedly complained

Dan Madigan has given a behind-the-scenes insight into why Vince McMahon abruptly nixed plans for a Japanese WWE character in 2004.

Madigan, a former WWE writer, pitched the idea of introducing a new superstar as a relative of Emperor Hirohito, Japan’s ruler from 1926 to 1989. A promo aired on RAW advertising the impending debut of Hirohito, who was due to be portrayed by Kenzo Suzuki.

However, as Madigan explained on the “Cheap Heat Productions Podcast,” McMahon was forced to cancel the idea within a day of the RAW promo.

“The next morning, he [McMahon] shows up, ‘We don’t talk about Hirohito, we don’t mention Hirohito. It never happened,’” Madigan said, quoting his former boss. “I’m like, ‘I gotta know, what’s going on?’ ‘I’ll tell you what’s going on. Apparently the Japanese royal family’s p****d off at us. They’re gonna sue us and kick our boys out of Japan… They watch wrestling and they’re f**king mad at us.’” [43:02-43:25]

Hirohito was never referenced on RAW or SmackDown again. Instead, Kenzo Suzuki debuted on SmackDown using his real name and with his wife, Hiroko, alongside him.

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Kenzo Suzuki’s WWE career highlights

Between June 2004 and February 2005, Kenzo Suzuki performed on the SmackDown brand as a singles competitor and as Rene Dupree’s tag team partner.

Dupree and Suzuki won the Tag Team Championship from Billy Kidman and Paul London on the September 9, 2004, episode of SmackDown. They held the titles for 91 days before losing to Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam.

Another notable moment from Suzuki’s short main roster run came in January 2005 when he unsuccessfully challenged John Cena for the United States Championship.

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Do you have any memories of Kenzo Suzuki on SmackDown? Let us know in the comments section.

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Please credit the “Cheap Heat Productions Podcast” and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.