The Sandman was one of the most unforgettable personalities in ECW, thanks to his wild entrancessmashing beer cans, chugging them down, and storming through the crowd to MetallicasEnter Sandman. But when he made his way to WWE, things changedand not for the better.
I assume this is right after SummerSlam, because right before SummerSlam, Johnny Ace calls me into his office and goes, You cant drink the beer anymore. Im pissed. Im like, Johnny, how about you give me my release?
Instead of letting him walk, Johnny Ace threw money at the problem. I got at least one raise out of him for asking for my release. It was up from $125,000 to $150,000. But it didnt take long for Sandman to realize things werent going to work out.
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Then, I find out, I have to stop drinking. Next thing I know, Austin is in the main event for SummerSlam. Theyre taking the beer from me so I cant do it on my entrance. I was pissed, he said.
For the record, Steve Austin wasnt in the 2007 SummerSlam main event, but he did appear in a segment where he drank beer and hit MVP with a Stunner. Meanwhile, Sandman was being forced to tone down the act that made him a cult favorite. By September 2007, WWE cut him loose.
With Sandmans iconic ECW entrance still talked about today, did WWE make a mistake trying to change him? Should they have embraced his wild persona instead? Let us know in the comments!
