Given the timing, it seemed like WCW were trying to capitilise on Rocky Maivia's push in the WWF by making their own 'second generation polynesian star'. The difference was, Rocky was obviously an amazing prospect who just needed the right material to get over. On top of that Iaukea wasn't even related to King Curtis Iaukea so the whole thing fell flat.
I know Sullivan has a different take and he could very well be telling the truth. Granted, he maybe talking about his work on the house shows but based on his television appearances, I always felt like Iaukea was one of the weaker workers on the roster. In my view it would have been better to have put the belt on Rey Mysterio Jr and positioned him as a star instead of a niche attraction.
In regards to Alex Wright, he was pretty impressive for somebody so young. However, it was clear that the German Pretty Boy gimmick was not going to work as a babyface and as a worker I don't think he knew how to bring the crowd into his matches. '97 is remembered as this all-time great year for WCW, but there are so many aspects of that year that really turn me off. Alex Wright beating Jericho for the Cruiserweight Championship ranks right up there. Wright offered next to nothing and all that title change achieved was diluting the lineage of the Cruiserweight Championship. In fairness, having Syxx drop the belt to Jericho at a House Show after he'd just defended it wasn't wise either.
WCW everybody.
As for Vampiro, he was one of my favourites when I was younger. Even though I wouldn't get into their music until later, I was a fan of the Misfit persona and thought it worked well in Pro Wrestling. However as I've gotten older and learned more about Vampiro my opinion of him has dimmed. Not necessarily because he can be a dick behind the scenes because really he's in good company, but because he really was one of the worst workers WCW got out of Mexico. Just an incredibly sloppy guy who didn't know the meaning of the word consistensy. A shame, because the guy became a superstar in Mexico, so you'd think he would have been able to get over in the States.
With that said, I did enjoy his interview on Austin's podcast way back in the day. If you haven't listened to it, it's well worth checking out. He's certainly had some life...