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This series will look at times when wrestlers broke the script and made things better. With a series like this, it would be too easy to begin with CM Punk’s infamous pipe-bomb of 2011. But instead, I think it would be better to start with a lesser known incident. One that got a Superstar Future Endeavored.
The Sandman
Towards the end of the original Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), many wrestlers went to WWE with Paul Heyman’s blessing. One person who did not get an invitation was The Sandman. Rumour had it that Sandman’s character and wrestling style was too extreme for WWE television. Also, it was considered to be quite similar to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s gimmick.
In order for Sandman to get into character as a hard-drinking everyman, Sandman would drink a lot of beer. So it was not uncommon for him to perform matches while drunk. This led to Sandman messing up dangerous moves and underselling enemy attacks. Some people try to defend Sandman by pointing out that he had an undiagnosed concussion during his infamous “Texas Deathmatch†with Cactus Jack (Cactus had struck Sandman on the head with a cast-iron skillet early into the match). But this does not explain his behaviour on dozens of other occasions over the years. Either way, his drinking had ruined his muscular physique and was affecting his overall wrestling ability.
Five years later, the WWE decided to launch a third brand based on their own concept of ECW. This time, they took on the ECW staple. Sandman had seriously cut down on his drinking and worked off his beer gut. However, they also got him to tone down his wrestling style and character. In spite of these changes, Sandman would spend his first year as a WWE Superstar as an enhancement talent for much younger talent.
In the Summer of 2007, the WWE went ahead with its ‘McMahon’s Son’ storyline. An attorney told Mr. McMahon that someone currently working for the WWE was his biological child. For the next few weeks, every WWE superstar wondered if they were secretly Mr. McMahon’s child. In order for this to work, you have to forget that the attorney was hired by McMahon’s secret son, so therefore he already knew that he was McMahon’s son. Anyone who wasn’t certain was definitely not McMahon’s child.
The story line was destined to come down to three possibilities: Triple H, JBL and Mr. Kennedy. It could not be Triple H because it was a well-known fact that Triple H was married to McMahon’s biological daughter Stephanie, and that they already had 2 children. Stephanie had already nixed any suggestion of being involved with an incest story line (Vince McMahon once begged Stephanie to do a storyline pretending that either him, or her brother Shane was the biological father of Stephanie’s baby). And it could not be JBL. Whoever it was had to be involved with matches, and JBL had retired due to a back injury, and therefore could not compete. Mr. Kennedy was originally intended to be revealed as McMahon’s son. But in real-life, Kennedy had been named in the Signature Pharmacy scandal, and was suspended. The identity of McMahon’s son had to change, but Triple H and JBL were still 2 of the most likely candidates.
Sandman had a match on the night of the big reveal. He was competing against Santino Marella, when Carlito interfered. Sandman attempted a dive over the top rope unto the 2 men. But the ropes were saturated with sweat, making it impossible for Sandman to get a proper grip on them. He fell short of his target, and it took Carlito and Santino too long to figure out that something was wrong. They tried to catch Sandman, but he still landed on the ground awkwardly, hitting his head and twisting his knee.
In the closing segment, all of the men on the roster were supposed to go to the ring, and get ruled out as McMahon’s son. When the attorney said that the child was “not extremeâ€, Sandman was supposed to leave with the rest of the ECW brand superstars. But he missed his cue and remained behind.
Sandman was fired for screwing up the segment. But did he really?
A few weeks before that, Sandman was drafted to the Raw brand. So he was a Raw brand superstar, not an ECW brand superstar. In actual fact, he was right not to leave with them. Let’s go through each of the clues:
- Male (check)
- Not Mr. Kennedy (check)
- Not Jeff Hardy or The Great Khali (check)
- Had fair skin (check)
- Had fair hair (check)
- Was not extreme / on the ECW brand (check)
It continues to get interesting. The next clue was that they were a champion. In theory, Sandman did not count because he was not currently holding a title. But neither were Triple H or JBL, who were also left. Apparently, this clue meant any current title holder OR former major champion. The WWE counted the original ECW Heavyweight Championship as a major championship, so again, Sandman was right to stay.
“Individualâ€. In other words, anyone who was in a tag team had to leave. Sandman’s team was broken up a few weeks ago when he moved to the Raw brand, meaning that he was not in a tag team either.
This left Triple H, JBL and Sandman. Logic dictated that it could not be Triple H, or JBL. Could it be? Could the Sandman be a secret McMahon?
The next clue was “He likes to play the gameâ€. Sandman knew that this was definitely a cue to leave.
THIS was the main reason why Sandman was fired. The creative staff had no idea what to do with him on the Raw brand. But he was fired as a punishment for putting this storyline into jeopardy. Even though he momentarily made it much more interesting.
The Sandman
Towards the end of the original Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), many wrestlers went to WWE with Paul Heyman’s blessing. One person who did not get an invitation was The Sandman. Rumour had it that Sandman’s character and wrestling style was too extreme for WWE television. Also, it was considered to be quite similar to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s gimmick.
In order for Sandman to get into character as a hard-drinking everyman, Sandman would drink a lot of beer. So it was not uncommon for him to perform matches while drunk. This led to Sandman messing up dangerous moves and underselling enemy attacks. Some people try to defend Sandman by pointing out that he had an undiagnosed concussion during his infamous “Texas Deathmatch†with Cactus Jack (Cactus had struck Sandman on the head with a cast-iron skillet early into the match). But this does not explain his behaviour on dozens of other occasions over the years. Either way, his drinking had ruined his muscular physique and was affecting his overall wrestling ability.
Five years later, the WWE decided to launch a third brand based on their own concept of ECW. This time, they took on the ECW staple. Sandman had seriously cut down on his drinking and worked off his beer gut. However, they also got him to tone down his wrestling style and character. In spite of these changes, Sandman would spend his first year as a WWE Superstar as an enhancement talent for much younger talent.
In the Summer of 2007, the WWE went ahead with its ‘McMahon’s Son’ storyline. An attorney told Mr. McMahon that someone currently working for the WWE was his biological child. For the next few weeks, every WWE superstar wondered if they were secretly Mr. McMahon’s child. In order for this to work, you have to forget that the attorney was hired by McMahon’s secret son, so therefore he already knew that he was McMahon’s son. Anyone who wasn’t certain was definitely not McMahon’s child.
The story line was destined to come down to three possibilities: Triple H, JBL and Mr. Kennedy. It could not be Triple H because it was a well-known fact that Triple H was married to McMahon’s biological daughter Stephanie, and that they already had 2 children. Stephanie had already nixed any suggestion of being involved with an incest story line (Vince McMahon once begged Stephanie to do a storyline pretending that either him, or her brother Shane was the biological father of Stephanie’s baby). And it could not be JBL. Whoever it was had to be involved with matches, and JBL had retired due to a back injury, and therefore could not compete. Mr. Kennedy was originally intended to be revealed as McMahon’s son. But in real-life, Kennedy had been named in the Signature Pharmacy scandal, and was suspended. The identity of McMahon’s son had to change, but Triple H and JBL were still 2 of the most likely candidates.
Sandman had a match on the night of the big reveal. He was competing against Santino Marella, when Carlito interfered. Sandman attempted a dive over the top rope unto the 2 men. But the ropes were saturated with sweat, making it impossible for Sandman to get a proper grip on them. He fell short of his target, and it took Carlito and Santino too long to figure out that something was wrong. They tried to catch Sandman, but he still landed on the ground awkwardly, hitting his head and twisting his knee.
In the closing segment, all of the men on the roster were supposed to go to the ring, and get ruled out as McMahon’s son. When the attorney said that the child was “not extremeâ€, Sandman was supposed to leave with the rest of the ECW brand superstars. But he missed his cue and remained behind.
Sandman was fired for screwing up the segment. But did he really?
A few weeks before that, Sandman was drafted to the Raw brand. So he was a Raw brand superstar, not an ECW brand superstar. In actual fact, he was right not to leave with them. Let’s go through each of the clues:
- Male (check)
- Not Mr. Kennedy (check)
- Not Jeff Hardy or The Great Khali (check)
- Had fair skin (check)
- Had fair hair (check)
- Was not extreme / on the ECW brand (check)
It continues to get interesting. The next clue was that they were a champion. In theory, Sandman did not count because he was not currently holding a title. But neither were Triple H or JBL, who were also left. Apparently, this clue meant any current title holder OR former major champion. The WWE counted the original ECW Heavyweight Championship as a major championship, so again, Sandman was right to stay.
“Individualâ€. In other words, anyone who was in a tag team had to leave. Sandman’s team was broken up a few weeks ago when he moved to the Raw brand, meaning that he was not in a tag team either.
This left Triple H, JBL and Sandman. Logic dictated that it could not be Triple H, or JBL. Could it be? Could the Sandman be a secret McMahon?
The next clue was “He likes to play the gameâ€. Sandman knew that this was definitely a cue to leave.
THIS was the main reason why Sandman was fired. The creative staff had no idea what to do with him on the Raw brand. But he was fired as a punishment for putting this storyline into jeopardy. Even though he momentarily made it much more interesting.
