Verne Gagne and the AWA did, though. Ed Wiskowski, who had gone through numerous gimmick changes during his career, landed in the AWA in the mid-80's, and underwent a gimmick and attitude change that would finally make him a memorable character. Whether that was for the better or worse is still under debate.

Under the name Colonel DeBeers, Wiskowski was now a South African nationalist. His character was violently racist, often refusing to fight black wrestlers. A match he had with Derrick Dukes was cut from the AWA tv show, as the winner got to paint the other "his" color. DeBeers didn't stop there, either. He also targeted "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, giving rise to his most well-known feud.