The Stinkface is Rikishi’s signature comedic move in WWE. In WWE’s own description, he stands over an opponent who is incapacitated in a ring corner and places his buttocks on that opponent’s face. It is a humiliation spot inside scripted sports entertainment, not a fighting technique, and WWE’s materials tie it to Rikishi’s Attitude Era persona and his partnership with Too Cool.
What the move is
WWE’s official Rikishi profile describes the move in a single sentence: “When his opponent was incapacitated in the corner of the ring, Rikishi would stand over the Superstar and plant his ample buttocks on their face.” That is WWE’s character-oriented description of a staged spot. It is not an independently verified account of any real contest, and it should be read as a description of the performance rather than of a wrestling hold.
The spelling varies across WWE’s pages. The profile and most references use “Stink Face,” while at least one official match listing uses “Stinkface.” This article uses “Stinkface” to match the title.
Where it sits in Rikishi’s career
The move is tied to a career that WWE divides into two periods. The sources do not say who devised the move, so this article does not credit Rikishi with inventing it. They establish only that WWE presents it as one of his signature moves.
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- Early 1990s: WWE’s profile says he first appeared in the company as Fatu, teaming with his cousin Samu as the Headshrinkers. The team won the World Tag Team Championship on April 26, 1994.
- 1999: After a period away, he returned under the Rikishi name and a new look. The Stinkface is associated with this later persona.
- Attitude Era: WWE’s Hall of Fame material places his popularity in this period, when the move became part of his act.
- 2015: He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. WWE’s announcement is dated February 5, 2015.
Too Cool and the dancing presentation
WWE connects Rikishi’s later popularity with Too Cool, the trio of Grand Master Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty alongside him. WWE says the group was loved for its hip-hop dancing and for Rikishi’s Stinkface. That pairing matters for understanding the move: it was presented as part of a comedic, dance-driven act rather than as a serious wrestling sequence.
The combination of a humiliating finisher-style spot and a dancing group is an editorial reading of how the move fit the act. WWE’s materials name both elements but do not spell out a formal comparison between them.
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A dated example: Rikishi vs. John Cena
WWE’s official video listing for a SmackDown bout between Rikishi and John Cena, dated November 7, 2002, describes Rikishi using the Stinkface in that match. Watching the listing’s footage, or the match itself, is the most direct way to see how WWE staged the spot in a televised contest. Viewers should expect the listing to be a WWE presentation, not a neutral record of the spot’s impact.
What the sources do not establish
- No statistic about the move’s frequency, effectiveness, or fan reaction was established in WWE’s materials.
- No source in this review gives an origin story for the move beyond its association with Rikishi.
- The move is not a real fighting technique and should not be presented as one.
- Availability of any specific match or video on streaming platforms was not confirmed here; the WWE listing is the reference point for the 2002 bout.
Reading the move in context
The Stinkface is best understood as a piece of character work. It gave Rikishi a memorable, physically blunt spot that matched a persona built around comedy, and it sat alongside the Too Cool dancing that made the act popular in the Attitude Era. For a documentary viewer, the useful questions are how WWE staged this kind of humiliation spot and what it signaled about the era’s tone, and the primary WWE pages linked above are the best starting point for those questions.
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- Each figure is detailed with TrueFX technology for a life-like face and added collectability!
- Fans can recreate signature moves with 14 points of articulation for dynamic posing!
- Reenact favorite WWE Main Event matches or create new rivalries and moves for play and display!
- WWE fans can find their favorite Superstar figure or can collect them all (each sold separately, subject to availability).
Primary sources for this article: WWE’s Rikishi profile, WWE’s Hall of Fame announcement, and WWE’s match-video listing for Rikishi vs. John Cena.
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