16. Slam Master J
WWE seems to have a disturbing obsession with awkward white people trying to emulate black culture, especially hip-hop/rap culture. This was proven with Slam Master J, the former Jesse, of Jesse and Festus.
After his initial team failed, Jesse was renamed ‘Slam Master J’ and acted as an awkward white rapper. This was despite the fact that the son of Terry Gordy had no ‘credibility’ for that role, which quickly turned the gimmick into an unfunny joke.
Being named ‘Jesse’ without even a last name was bad enough; pretending to be a rapper without having any skill whatsoever was a death knell for his WWE career. That’s exactly what Jesse became: a comedy jobber that got demolished by everyone in the span of a few minutes.
The Tag Team of Jesse and Festus wasn’t likely to last long, but it could’ve had more longevity if Jesse wasn’t a rapper and had a last name. Despite WWE thinking most fans have the collective attention span of goldfish, many still remember the old days and recognize famous last names in wrestling history.
Calling him ‘Jesse Gordy’ would’ve given Jesse the opportunity to, at the very least, attempt a singles run as a serious competitor, much like how WWE tried with Curtis Axel. Even if Jesse ended up in the exact same boat as Axel, at least he wouldn’t have to live with having to play a phony white rapper that nobody enjoyed.