Sandman Reveals He Was Nearly Part Of WCW Stable

The Sandman nearly joined forces with Konnan and Rey Mysterio in WCW.

The ECW legend had a brief run with World Championship Wrestling in the late 90s, performing under the name Hak due to copyright issues. Mainly feuding with fellow alumni Raven and Bam Bam Bigelow, Sandman was mainly used to try and establish the Hardcore division on Monday Nitro. However, if Bischoff had agreed to Konnan’s pitch, the career path of the former ECW Champion could have looked a lot different.

Speaking at a virtual signing for K and S Wrestlefest, Sandman revealed that when he got to WCW there was a pitch for him to join the Filthy Animals faction, but Konnan’s idea was not approved:

“I worked with [Konnan] when he first came in his first night [in ECW]. In fact, we didn’t even talk. It was a run-in, and he was late. We didn’t even talk when he came into the room but I saw a couple of matches of his and he was supposed to end up like running me out and then we’d do a program but me and him got along great. Then, we went to WCW and he wanted to put me in the Filthy Animals with them but Bischoff said no, which was good anyway because ‘Rap is Crap’ f*cking crushed them with that song. Curt Hennig, Bobby Duncam. ‘Rap is Crap’ was hilarious.”

Created by Konnan in 1999, the group also featured Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman, Eddie Guerrero and Torrie Wilson. In a rare sight for wrestling fans, this was one of the few times in Mysterio’s career that the Hall of Famer was not 100% babyface, as the group were portrayed as tweeners. This was also where Guerrero’s famous comical cheating spots would originate, such as the fake chair shot knockout. The group disbanded following the closure of WCW in 2001.

Will Sandman Become All Elite?

With the resurgence of ECW seen in AEW following Jack Perry disrespecting the extreme promotion, notable alumni Jerry Lyn and RVD have made onscreen appearances. With Sandman being one of the most recognisable names from ECW, fans have speculated that a cameo appearance may take place in the near future. At the time of writing, there have been no sightings of the former champion in All Elite Wrestling.

H/t to Fightful.