Why fibrous material has only one falling period in drying curve? The character was yet to be unleashed however. Here are the most controversial things the WWE has ever done or been party to. Did a WWE Hall of Famer just say that AEW storylines are for 8-year-olds here, Be the first one to comment on this story. I know he was a controversial character but as an autistic person myself I don't have an issue with his portrayal of a mentally disabled person and found his character entertaining at times, and he was great for building up heels and faces. He did end up with the big belt in that promotion, but despite being a gifted athlete he was never the draw they hoped he would be. Over the course of seven seemingly eternal minutes, Triple H groped the mannequin, then climbed into the coffin himself, and simulating a sex act that ended when he produced a handful of raw meat to prove he'd literally "screwed her brains out." Not sure what Vince was thinking, but there was no need to display a mentally handicapped character in the WWE roster. Eugene established himself as a rising star in the WWE. Virgil? Because of how compelling the character was, he was involved in some of the most entertaining segments on Monday Night Raw not long after making his debut. Family, friends, and fans are remembering the real-life inspiration for one of the more unique characters in WWE history. Worse, WWE's head of programming at the time actually thought Eugene would lead to big rating increases and merchandise sold. Most of the roster today would do anything to get a push like that. Dinsmore began his career in 1996 and was assigned to NWA-Ohio Valley Wrestling, later becoming Ohio Valley Wrestling. Eugene was part of the WWE from 2004 to 2007 Pro wrestling has had its share of mentally challenged wrestlers. Although they won the match, he suffered a ruptured left patellar ligament, which required surgery and sidelined him for six months. He became a full-time member of the roster the following year. WWE's modern, TV-PG attempts at being kid-friendly might have its problems, but at least we don't have to worry about this kind of thing anymore. Now I actually don't believe this man has a learning disability for. On the March 19, 2007 episode of Raw, Eugene was forced into a match with Umaga, as a punishment for accidentally spilling a drink on Vince McMahon. : Eugene's first show, Hayes from Tough Enough, Baszler, more", "Eugene anuncia su retiro como luchador profesional", "Best Wishes To The Legendary Bill Mercer, Eugene Update And More", "Eugene WWE: What happened to the former WWE Superstar and where is he now? [7] Although Regal was originally dispirited at having to manage Eugene, he would grow fond of him and the two would quickly become firm friends. Instead, Vince won the match by pinning Michaels. Hennig would become Intercontinental champion, and would even challenge Hulk Hogan for the WWE world title, though he never beat the Hulkster. Why he never became a bigger star: Snitsky is huge, but was stiff and awkward in the ring. [12], With Regal, Eugene won his first and only championship in WWE, taking the World Tag Team Championship from La Rsistance on the November 15 episode of Raw. When that came out in 2015, WWE quickly moved to get some distance from Hogan, eliminating him from the most recent version of their Tough Enough reality show competition and removing him from the WWE Hall of Fame. That one instance for them to be able to meet what I hope would be their hero is a little bit indescribable and is an incredible feeling. In 2015, he opened his own promotion, Midwest All Pro Wrestling. On June 17, Eugene was drafted to the SmackDown! RELATED: Former WWE Star Eugene Set To Retire After Latest Tour. Lashley had an on again-off again relationship with TNA/Impact for years, bouncing back and forth between wrestling and MMA. The feud with the Undertaker and Hassan's career with WWE were both finished in an eight-minute match a few weeks later. comes to wrestling, using old moves from the 1970s as well as If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. conversation around representation in WWE, a caricature of someone with a disability, played for laughs, temporarily passed over the top babyface spot for the likes of Lex Luger. However, Snitsky failed to catch on despite a heavy and continued push, and was eventually released. Continue with Recommended Cookies, if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'democraticunderground_com-medrectangle-1','ezslot_2',177,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-democraticunderground_com-medrectangle-1-0');report this ad As a white guy, I have no interest in golf or tennis, I don't drape a sweater around my shoulders, nor do I live in a house with a picket fence. Thorn was never a great wrestler, but he was big and mean looking, so he was pushed hard by OVW. The news media took notice, and while WWE initially attempted to spin it to give the Hassan character more material to work with, UPN, SmackDown's home network, pressuring WWE to remove the character from the show. However, failure to land a contract with the promotion saw him return to OVW where he would stay for a few more years. Unfortunately, many others have failed. The Rednecks were intended to be the heels in the feud, but fan response turned them into babyfaces. Dinsmore suggested the character Rip Rogers had come up with and the WWE Chairman loved it. 18 years ago. The gimmick ended up In 2019, he appeared in the Minnesota-based American Wrestling Federation in a televised match on Channel 45 Wrestling. Before long, however, there were rumors that Hogan and WWE would reach an agreement to see him restored to his previous status, and sure enough, they announced on July 15, 2018, that Hogan was being reinstated after a "three-year suspension," which was the first time it had ever been referred to as a suspension rather than a permanent removal. [20] Striker ultimately defeated Eugene to end the feud. Under his real name, he is best known for his time in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), as a wrestler and trainer. Yes, you read that correctly; it was actually called the Dungeon of Doom! The whole ordeal was made even worse by the fact that WWE legend Eddy Guerrero had just passed away four days ago with anabolic steroid abuse on his death certificate as a contributing cause. For instance, one of Eugene's most memorable moments was getting rescued by the returning Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on a May 2004 episode of Monday Night Raw, as the two laid the smackdown on Jonathan Coachman. And who could forget the entertaining July 2004 episode of Monday Night Raw where Eugene became the general manager for one night, where he held a musical chairs contest to see who'd face Randy Orton for the Intercontinental Championship later that night. Please note that this is not the controversial part. Hennig would end up as a member of the West Texas Rednecks, a stable whose sole reason for existing was facing off against Master P's no limit soldier faction. Entirely at his expense. For most WWE acts, its difficult to describe their runs with the company as all good or all bad. WWE.com has posted a reponse on their website in which they responded to a negative blog written by Colin McEnroe of the Hartford Courant who slammed the company for the mentally challenged character Eugene, who appeared for the company from 2004 to 2007, and once in 2009. Fun fact: Eugene was entirely Nick Dinsmores idea. The two struck up a conversation, and then a friendship, and Vicious helped Thorn get his early bookings in the southern independent promotions. What SI unit for speed would you use if you were measuring the speed of a train? A Procession Of Them: The Plight Of The Mentally Disabled EUGENE RICHARDS Spring 2005 . During his time with the WWE, Eugene failed two drug tests and even had a very public overdose on Somas and prescription pills. Now Lashley is back in the WWE, and seems squarely mired in the mid-card, just like before. But they were buried by Super Cena and split up. In the case of Eugene, however, it was the character itself that was offensive: a mentally disabled wrestler who was usually played for laughs. Even though Eugene's wrestling career is winding down, his contributions to the wrestling industry get cherished by fans who grew up entertained by his WWE run. Throughout the few years of Eugene's WWE career, although Eugene was not the most accomplished WWE superstar of his generation, he was involved with some of the most high-profile wrestlers during his prime in mid to late 2004. Perhaps he could have picked up the phone and warned his young counterpart of the dangers of accepting an awful assignment. [36] Dinsmore lost the title to Rudy Switchblade seven days later in an Eight Man Melee, including Wayne, Adam Revolver, Ted McNaler, James Thomas, Rocco Bellagio and Mike Mondo. He debuted in the WWE in 2004 under the name Eugene Dinsmore, Eric Bischoff's . We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. He didn't win due to broken ribs and illness, but he did impress officials enough that he made it to the final ten contestants. In addition to his physical appearance, which included wild, unkempt hair, his wrists locked into an angle that parodied cerebral palsy, and exaggerated wide-eyed nodding whenever he got excited, Eugene also came to the ring in a jacket that was worn inside-out and buttoned incorrectly, accompanied by an entrance video that boasted his name in childlike scrawl. One of those characters is the highly-remembered Eugene, who first made his debut on an April 2004 episode of Monday Night Raw and became a prominent character on the red brand. I met several people with special needs and without a doubt, they would always run to me and just want to hug me. He had his moments of playing a truly inspiring character, getting to shine for his in-ring skills, and even pull off some legitimately funny segments. Nobody ever really came up to me and said, Oh youre doing a bad thing, oh, I cant believe you did this. If anything, I got a lot of positive affirmation. On the same day they also announced that that they were starting a new drug testing program as part of a larger plan that also included heart exams. Nicholas David Dinsmore (born December 17, 1975), better known by his ring name Eugene, is an American professional wrestler.. Dinsmore's career began in 1996 in Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he would become the OVW Heavyweight Champion a record eight times as well as the OVW Southern Tag Team Champion eleven times. I really disliked him This thread is archived New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast 0 The team split up on the November 6 Raw. RELATED: Eugene & 9 Other WWE Gimmicks That Would Never Fly Today. Snitsky would feud with Kane, Chris Benoit, and Shelton Benjamin before suffering a blood clot and taking time off. However, he never held the world title in either WCW or WWE, which makes it seem like he could have done more. OVW became WWE's farm territory and, during his time there, Dinsmore became the OVW Heavyweight Champion a record . For instance, because Eugene is a wrestling fan at the end of the day, his signature and finishing moves include the Stone Cold Stunner, Hulk Hogan's leg drop, and Rock Bottom. Over the months ahead, Eugene received a big following, and it seemed that WWE could breathe a sigh of relief as they tiptoed a very dangerous line. From the early going, he was the butt of jokes from heels, including the premise of his first storyline being that Eric Bischoff and Evolution sought to manipulate and take advantage of the young star. [1], At Taboo Tuesday, Rob Conway teamed with Tyson Tomko to face Eugene and a "WWE Legend", to be chosen by the fans. Eric Bischoffs intellectually disabled nephew who was also secretly a wrestling savant. 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, Please comment below and let us know, and thanks for reading! There was even a magician, but he only lasted for one match and a shower before they showed him the door. The Internet Wrestling Database defines this one as a handicap match between Michaels and his two opponents, but the listing on the WWE Network assures viewers that the McMahons were facing the team of "Shawn Michaels and God." The contract was signed, and weeks of vignettes were aired. Why did Eugene exist in WWE? Taylor, one of the smoothest technical wrestlers in the game, was the perfect 80's babyface. His role as an NXT trainer lasted over a year when he was released by the company once again on October 2014. LLC, Edited on Mon Oct-25-04 08:16 PM by oldhat, It's just an act. He defeated Grado in his first match for the promotion. |-- Latest Breaking News He could never shake off The Red Rooster character despite returning to his real name in WCW later. Eugene had a lot of forces, a lot of bad guys against him. While shooting T-shirts into the crowd via T-shirt gun, he accidentally shot Mark Henry. [1] While still in OVW, Dinsmore also made some appearances as a jobber in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), first on an episode of Shotgun Saturday Night in 1999. Like most combat sports enthusiasts, his passion for watching people fight began with WWE when he witnessed a young Brock Lesnar massacre Hulk Hogan back in 2002. During his time in the company, he was involved in various storylines and competed against such wrestlers like Triple H and Kurt Angle. If "Eugene" actually was "retarded," the McMahon family would have been lynched the second "Eugene" was introduced. At a show called the Greatest Royal Rumble that was broadcast live from Saudi Arabia a show that had already raised some controversy with the news that women would not be allowed to perform at the event the company decided to rely on this time-honored tactic. The company definitely courted controversy, but in 1999, they made headlines based entirely on concerned parents completely misunderstanding a gimmick maybe intentionally. [43] In December 2021, Dinsmore announced his retirement tour. He left the hotel naked, got into his car, then veered off the side of a highway in Richmond, Va. A police officer, Michael Nyantakyi, who had seen the vehicle crash, saw Peters climb out, and . 43K views 1 year ago #eugene #wwe #hasanabi Hasanabi Reacts To WWE Fake Disabled Wrestler Eugene (WWE Eugene's Debut) WWE Eugene's Debut | RAW Apr 05, 2004 Video We reimagined. With the benefit of hindsight, was WWE's Eugene character more of an offensive caricature, or a well-intentioned, even inspirational character? After 'Taker beat Daivari in a match, Hassan dropped to his knees and extended his arms as though praying, and five men in ski masks and desert camo hit the ring to beat the Undertaker down and choke him with a garotte wire before kneeling in a semicircle as Hassan locked on a submission hold called the Camel Clutch. He ended up leaving for the world of MMA, where he met with success though never on the scale of fellow WWE alum Brock Lesnar. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. One of the women involved did in fact take her top off, but it wasn't the Kat, whose bikini was literally made of packing tape and bubble wrap. H and Kurt Angle assigned to NWA-Ohio Valley Wrestling T-shirts into the crowd via T-shirt gun, never. 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