The Genius Reason Ex-WWE Star Agreed To Alcoholism Storyline

Rhino has revealed the reason he agreed to a storyline involving alcoholism while in TNA.

Rhino rose to prominence as one of the top stars in ECW before moving on to WWE when the company closed its doors in 2001. The star is also known for his time in TNA, the promotion that has been his home for the last five years.

During his original run with TNA in the 2000s, the star had a heated rivalry with James Storm which saw Storm pouring beer on him. This kicked off a controversial storyline that saw Rhino ‘relapse’ into alcoholism and disappear for several weeks.

During an interview with Metro.co.uk, the former ECW World Heavyweight Champion joked that the storyline was “great” as it allowed him to get a month off.

“It was great because I pitch an idea, I go, ‘How about you don’t see me for like, a month, and you don’t know where I’m at?’ I pitched that idea so I could have a month off of work.”

The star got the idea from an ECW storyline involving Sandman getting burned in the eye by a cigarette.

“That stemmed from Sandman getting a cigarette flicked in his eye. He didn’t answer the phone, didn’t answer the door. Not me. I went out on the boat!”

Rhino says TNA loved the idea and thought of it as a “sacrifice” for him, whereas he saw it as a vacation.

“‘We love it. Thanks for being so sacrificing. We’re going to pay you.’ So I got a month vacation. That was the last time I actually had a month off. So that’s why I was on board.”

More seriously, Rhino said while he was never a big drinker himself, he knows it’s a big issue for others, including some of his friends.

“I was never a big drinker. I drank maybe three years of my life, but I think it’s nine years since I actually last drank. But it’s a pretty big issue in a lot of people’s lives. I’ve had a quite a few buddies that struggle with that.”

Rhino will be inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame at Bound For Glory on October 26th.

TNA Couldn’t Contact Potential Hall Of Fame Inductee

While Rhino will be part of it, TNA is unable to induct Monty Brown into its Hall of Fame. According to Matt Hardy, there was a push to get the former star inducted, but TNA couldn’t get hold of him, with Brown having seemingly gone “off the grid.”

H/T to Metro.co.uk for the above transcription.