Jimmy Yang James Carson Yun ( May 13 , 1981 ) is an American professional wrestler and actor , formerly signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its SmackDown brand first under the ring name of Akio before adopting a " " redneck " " gimmick renaming himself as Jimmy Wang Yang . Yun is best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling as one - third of the Jung Dragons as Yang , and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and the independent circuit as Jimmy Yang . After a brief stint as Akio , a henchman for Tajiri in late 2003 to early 2004 , he returned to World Wrestling Entertainment in 2006 . Professional wrestling career . World Championship Wrestling ( 1999 – 2001 ) . In June 1999 , Yun signed with World Championship Wrestling , making his WCW television debut in January 2000 . He was originally a part of the Jung Dragons faction along with Jamie - San and Kaz Hayashi . They were brought into WCW by Jimmy Hart to feud with 3 Count , another faction . They made their pay - per - view debut at New Blood Rising , losing a ladder match to 3 Count . They added a manager , Leia Meow , and continued the feud with 3 Count , until , in late 2000 , Jamie - San unmasked and left the group , forming a tag team with former 3 Count member Evan Karagias . The team of Hayashi and Yang feuded with Karagias and Jamie until the WWF purchased WCW . WWE developmental territories , Japan and independent circuit ( 2001 – 2003 ) . In March 2001 , the World Wrestling Federation acquired Yun ' s contract and assigned him to the company ' s Heartland Wrestling Association developmental territory , but he was released in January 2002 . After his brief stint as a WWF developmental talent , Yun joined All Japan Pro Wrestling where he wrestled as both a part of its tag team division and its singles junior heavyweight division . On April 13 , 2002 , Yun , competing as Yang , teamed up with Kaz Hayashi and Hi69 to defeat Kazushi Miyamoto , Gran Naniwa and Ryuji Hijikata . On July 17 on an AJPW pay - per - view , Yang teamed up with Hayashi and George Hines to defeat Ryuji Hijikata , Gran Naniwa and Johnny Smith . Over a month later , Yang returned to AJPW on August 31 , teaming with Masaaki Mochizuki and Dragon Kid to defeat Magnum Tokyo , Susumu Yokosuka and Darkness Dragon . Yang suffered his first loss in AJPW on September 15 , when he and Kazushi Miyamoto lost to Kendo Kashin and Robbie Brookside , although that same month he teamed with Kaz Hayashi to win the Real World Junior Heavyweight Tag Team League . The following month , Yang defeated Gran Hamada and Gran Naniwa in a three - way match , before he and Yoji Anjoh lost to Mike Barton and Jim Steele . Throughout the end of 2002 , Yang continued competing in six - man tag team matches , with mixed results . On December 20 , 2002 Yang made his Major League Wrestling debut at " King of Kings " , where he and Mike Sanders lost to " Dr . Death " Steve Williams and PJ Friedman . He competed regularly in MLW throughout 2003 , both in singles and tag team competition . At the " War Games and J Cup USA " show on September 19 , 2003 , Yang competed in the Super J Cup USA tournament , defeating Juventud Guerrera in the first round , but losing to Christopher Daniels in the second . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( 2002 ) . From May to August 2002 , Yang was one third of The Flying Elvises in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) alongside Sonny Siaki and Jorge Estrada . Yang and the other Elvises were involved in TNA ' s first match , defeating A . J . Styles , Jerry Lynn , and Low Ki in a six - man tag team match . World Wrestling Entertainment ( 2003 – 2005 ) . In September 2003 , following a match with Tommy Dreamer on " Sunday Night Heat " , Yun was signed to a three - year developmental deal with the renamed World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) . Yun made his WWE debut on October 19 , 2003 at No Mercy , along with the Japanese American Ryan Sakoda . Yun was renamed Akio ( a reference to Japanese wrestler Akio Sato ) and aligned himself with Sakoda , forming the villainous tag team Kyo Dai ( Japanese for " brothers " ) , the henchmen of the native Japanese wrestler Tajiri . Sakoda was eventually released from WWE and Tajiri was traded to " Raw " . This left Yun on his own to become a lower card wrestler and " Velocity " mainstay , competing primarily in the cruiserweight division until he was released on July 5 , 2005 . Ring of Honor ( 2005 – 2006 ) . After being released from WWE , Yun wrestled in Ring of Honor ( ROH ) . He debuted on October 1 , 2005 , at the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan , losing to James Gibson . He lost once again the following night to Christopher Daniels and again two weeks later to Roderick Strong , causing him to kayfabe take some time away from the company . He returned to ROH in January 2006 where he recorded his first win in ROH , teaming with Matt Sydal and Jack Evans in the Trios Tournament . The team , however , was ultimately defeated by The Embassy . Yun stayed with the company for several months , wrestling as Jimmy Yang and using the same martial arts based persona he adopted in WCW . His entrance music was the theme from the spoof martial arts film " The Last Dragon " , and he even brought in the film ' s star Taimak ( referred to in his appearances as ' Bruce Leroy ' , the name of his character ) to help him in a feud with Embassy member Jimmy Rave . Return to WWE ( 2006 – 2010 ) . In May 2006 , Yun made a return to WWE , as Akio , on an edition of " Heat " , working as an enhancement talent in a try - out match with Charlie Haas . This match impressed WWE , and they re - signed him once more . Beginning with the August 25 , 2006 edition of " SmackDown ! " , vignettes began airing featuring Yun dressed as a cowboy and calling himself Jimmy Wang Yang , in the process cutting his previously long hair short and growing a Fu Manchu moustache to fit the gimmick . In the vignettes , Yang questioned why people would assume stereotypical Asian things about him while proclaiming that he was much more of a redneck , of which he was proud . The vignettes played for several weeks , with Yang focusing more on his redneck leanings . On the September 29 " SmackDown ! " , he made his in - ring debut in a loss to Sylvan , who illegally used the ropes for leverage to get a pin . A few weeks later , on November 3 , Yang debuted his valet , Amy Zidian , though she was released from WWE just a month later after backstage trouble with the other divas . In December 2006 , Yang became the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship . Yang challenged Gregory Helms for the Cruiserweight title , but lost to him at Armageddon . Later , he participated in a Cruiserweight Open at No Way Out for the Cruiserweight Title , but was unable to win the title . In mid - 2007 , Yang and Chavo Guerrero began a feud . On the June 15 edition of " SmackDown " , Yang once again became the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship , after feuding with Guerrero for almost two months . At Vengeance : Night of Champions , Yang lost to Guerrero after a frog splash . During The Great American Bash , Yang competed in another Cruiserweight Open and although he was never pinned , Hornswoggle won the title after becoming an official entrant in the match due to him hiding under the ring . On the July 27 edition of " SmackDown " , Yang teamed with Torrie Wilson against Kenny Dykstra and Victoria ; Yang and Wilson won the match after Yang pinned Dykstra . Following this match , Wilson began appearing as Yang ' s new valet . On October 12 , on " SmackDown ! " , Jamie Noble , in order to weed out the competition for the vacant Cruiserweight Championship , told Deuce ' n Domino that Yang had been making " lewd remarks " about Domino ' s on - screen sister and manager , Cherry . Deuce demanded a match against Yang from acting General Manager Vickie Guerrero . Yang won the match with his signature moonsault from the top rope , but was attacked by Deuce , Domino , and Cherry after the match . The next week , Yang and Shannon Moore teamed up against Deuce ' n Domino in a tag team match , which Yang and Moore won . On December 18 , Yang and Moore defeated the WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz to earn a title - shot , igniting a feud between the two teams . On January 1 , 2008 , Yang and Moore once again beat Morrison and the Miz , this time in a six - person tag team match also involving Layla and Kelly Kelly . The following week , in a Fifteen Minutes of Fame Match , Moore and Yang tied the champions on pinfalls , resulting in Miz and Morrison retaining the titles . On June 9 , 2008 , Yun was suspended for thirty days for his first violation of the WWE Wellness Policy . He made his return on the July 18 edition of " SmackDown " , being defeated by the re - debuting The Brian Kendrick . In September 2009 , Yun sustained cuts and bruises to his back from Kane after being attacked with a Singapore cane on an episode of " WWE Superstars " . In late 2009 , Yang formed a tag team with Slam Master J and in their first match as a team , they lost to The Hart Dynasty on the December 10 episode of " Superstars " . On the December 18 episode " SmackDown " , Yang and J lost a rematch to the Dynasty . On the January 14 , 2010 episode of " Superstars " , Yang and J scored their first win as a team after they defeated Mike Knox and Charlie Haas . On April 22 , 2010 , WWE released Yun . Personal life . Yun was born in Hollywood , California to a Korean father and a Caucasian mother . He has a brother named Johnathan , who is a professional breakdancer . Yun owns a professional wrestling school called Pro Training , LLC . located in Cincinnati , Ohio .