Details of WWE wanting to introduce superstar as George "The Animal" Steele's son revealed
Various WWE storylines have never made it past the scripting stage, and Bruce Prichard recently revealed one such idea involving the legendary George "The Animal" Steele. Prichard stated that Matt Bloom was initially set to make his debut as George Steele's kayfabe son before he was introduced as Prince Albert in 1999.
Bloom wrestled under many monikers throughout his career as he had stints in WWE as Albert and A-Train during his first run before being repackaged as Lord Tensai several years later in 2012.
It's interesting to note that George Steele had a role in getting Bloom into WWE, and due to their similarly unique looks, the company proposed a plan for them to have a father-son relationship on TV.
George "The Animal" Steele was a big name in wrestling during the 1970s and 80s as he worked for both Vince McMahon and his father. George Steele drew a lot of money for the McMahons and was deservedly honored with a Hall of Fame induction in 1995.
Here's what Prichard revealed on his podcast about the pitch to have Matt Bloom as George 'The Animal' Steele Jr.:
"Originally, you know, it's funny; I don't know if we were told this, maybe we have. Originally when Albert was going to come in, he was going to come in as George "The Animal" Steele Jr., Which is George Jr. And, man, George "The Animal" Steele did big business for Vince's dad. Did big business for Vince and was a tremendous character that people believed. Big, hairy, nasty-looking!" [1:10:12 - 1:10:42]
The bottom line is that A-Train wasn't the guy: WWE Executive Bruce Prichard
Matt Bloom spent five years in WWE before he left in 2004 to have a largely successful career in Japan. Despite having an intimidating physical presence, Bloom could not get his 'big guy' act over with the audience during a very competitive time in the business.
Bruce Prichard said that A-Train was given multiple opportunities to shine as Vince McMahon liked the superstar's unusual appearance and felt he could turn him into a massive attraction.
Bloom, the current head trainer of WWE, was given a solid push during his early years but sadly failed to break into the main event picture. Prichard even explained why it didn't work out with the giant star in WWE:
"Look, the bottom line is that A-Train wasn't the guy. He just wasn't. But, that's hindsight. When you look back at it, I don't think it was the time, and I don't think he was the guy, and we were trying to do something. We were trying to build somebody." [1:10:43 - 1:11:30]
Matt Bloom has been an integral part of the promotion's developmental system since his retirement in 2014, as he's helped train some of the biggest stars of the modern era.
While his credentials as a trainer are unquestionable, what do you think about Bloom's in-ring career? Let us know in the comments section below.
While using the quote from this article, please credit 'Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard' and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.