Former WCW Star Ice Train reveals why he turned down Vince McMahon twice (Exclusive)
Former WCW Star Ice Train was the special guest on the latest edition of Sportskeeda's UnSKripted Live Q&A session with Dr. Chris Featherstone. The former WCW wrestler spoke on various topics, including his retirement from pro wrestling and why he never joined WWE. Sportskeeda contributor Brian Thornsburg had the opportunity to ask Ice Train about his retirement and how a potential WWE career would have looked like had he accepted Vince McMahon's offer.
In response, Ice Train revealed that he turned down Vince McMahon on two different occasions before pulling down the curtains on his in-ring career. Ice Train explained that he felt it was in his best interest to retire from in-ring competition as he wanted to preserve his love for the business.
"I had turned down Vince, twice, right before I retired.
I had a chance to go to Vince about two months before that, and after that, I just, I felt that it was just good to leave it alone because I didn't want to not ever love the business. Right now, I'm out of the business for 20 years, and I still love it, man. It's a great brotherhood, a great fraternity."
Chris Featherstone asked a follow-up question about the details regarding the WWE offers that Ice Train received.
The 56-year-old star explained that he was used to receiving a guaranteed figure in the WCW. However, if Ice Train would have accepted Vince McMahon's offer, he would have had to earn a sum of money based on his work. He wasn't ready to lose his guaranteed money on a pipe dream.
Ice Train also believed that a WWE run for him would have never worked out, and the retired performer feels like he made the best decision.
Vince McMahon is known to be a little temperamental when it comes to the talents he likes and wishes to push. Ice Train explained that he wasn't ready to take a chance with Vince McMahon's WWE. However, he did add that if Vince McMahon's company was willing to use him in the right manner, he would have given it a shot.
"You know, Vince McMahon would tell you, 'Hey Train, you come up here, and we are going to do, we'll do this, and you would have to earn it. And I was used to that guaranteed money from WCW, and I had just bought my house, and I wasn't about to lose my guaranteed money for a pipe dream, and I saw, if Vince liked you, he created you, and if he didn't like you, you'd be out of that door. It was the business with him. I don't think I was ready to take that chance. Should had I done it, if I would have felt like Vince is going to treat me like Otto Wanz, I would have did it. I just thought Vince never talked about my 700-pound bench press, my squats; they never talked about that. So, I just didn't think it was going to work out. I believe that I'm right and a little bit I could be wrong about but I think I made the best decision."
WWE's possible plan for Ice Train if he had accepted Vince McMahon's offer
Regarding the possible plans that could have been booked had he signed with WWE, Ice Train noted that the idea was probably to pair up him with another African American wrestler.
Ice Train stated that he could have very well been the next Junkyard Dog or Bobo Brazil with the right backing in Vince McMahon's promotion.
"I believe the plan was probably to put me with another African American wrestler, and I just didn't think it was going to work, man. I didn't want a tag team with nobody no more. I just thought I had my own good charisma, and if you use it right, and you knew how to get behind me, I could have been your Junkyard Dog, I could have been your Bobo Brazil, but I wouldn't want to go out there and just sell my soul for a dollar. It just wouldn't happen."
Don't miss out on the latest edition of UnSkripted as Ice Train also spoke about WCW's demise, Vince McMahon, Goldberg, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, Eric Bischoff, and more.