Former WWE Superstar Unveils The Backstory Of Their Infamous Gimmick
Former WWE Superstar Nick Dinsmore, who portrayed the character Eugene, delved into the origins of this controversial persona.
Eugene, depicted as the kayfabe nephew of Eric Bischoff and a mentally challenged wrestling enthusiast, emerged from a pivotal moment in Dinsmore’s career, spurred by feedback from Jim Ross during WWE dark matches.
In an interview with Developmentally Speaking, Dinsmore unveiled the challenges he faced in pitching the Eugene character. Initially met with resistance from several coaches, Dinsmore persisted until a crucial meeting with Vince and Stephanie McMahon provided the breakthrough he needed. Vince McMahon’s expressed desire to return to character-driven storytelling prompted Dinsmore to propose the Eugene persona, catching the attention of the wrestling mogul and even drawing surprise from Steve Austin, who was unfamiliar with Dinsmore’s in-ring abilities.
Vince [McMahon] goes, ‘I want to get back to character-based wrestling.’ And I just pitched out that character right there. [Steve] Austin walks in and Vince goes, ‘Steve, did you ever see this guy wrestle?’ And he goes, ‘No, I don’t think so,’
Crucially, Dinsmore’s training under Nightmare Danny Davis earned him Steve Austin’s trust and ultimately secured McMahon’s approval for the Eugene character. Dinsmore sought to differentiate Eugene from the typical wrestling villain archetype, instead portraying him as a comedic babyface aimed at entertaining audiences, particularly children.
Everybody still wanted to be a cool, strong heel that got all their moves in. I wanted to be the complete opposite. I wanted to sell and be a babyface and just have fun out there,
Which WWE Hall Of Famer Stated They Were “Disappointed” About Facing Eugene?
Kurt Angle said he was “disappointed” about facing Eugene at WWE SummerSlam 2005. Angle revealed that he was disappointed due to him being a top guy, in good physical condition, wrestling exceptionally, and was expecting to be main-eventing SummerSlam but instead was placed into a program with Eugene. Angle went on to say that despite all of that he didn’t mind working with Eugene as he believed he was a talented wrestler.
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