"He was a size hire, green as grass" - Jim Ross says former WWE tag team champion didn't have the aptitude for wrestling
Does the name Jon Heidenreich ring any bells? WWE signed the former pro footballer in 2003, and his size made Heidenreich a favorite to receive a push in Vince McMahon's company.
Jon Heidenreich, unfortunately, didn't have a successful stint in WWE, and he was eventually released in 2006. Jim Ross spoke about Heidenreich's WWE career during a recent edition of Grilling JR on AdFreeShows.
JR stated that Heidenreich was a 'size hire' who was given a contract based on his impressive physical features.
"He was a size hire, had a pro-football background. Great facials. A distinctively compelling look, but he was green as grass. He was a football guy. So, he was a size hire."
Standing at 6 feet 7 inches tall, Heidenreich had a compelling look, but Jim Ross explained that the wrestler was way too green. which meant he lacked the aptitude for the wrestling business.
"I don't remember too many issues with Jon, to be honest with you. I just remember his aptitude, or the genre itself was not very refined. So, but the potential, here's the thing, you take a guy, don't pay him a whole lot of money, but you pay him enough money to keep him interested. Pay his bills, so he can focus on training."
Could not get the nuances of pro wrestling: JR on Heidenreich's failure in WWE
JR believed that some wrestlers just don't have the aptitude for professional wrestling, and Heidenreich was one of those talents. He said Heidenreich found it hard to absorb the finer nuances of the craft.
"We thought, 'Well, this son of a b**** is big and impressive and has a distinctive look. If we can get him fundamentally sound and teach him how to do the basic rudimentary things in the ring that a big man would do, then we would be ahead of the curve. It's just that some guys have the aptitude for the business, and some guys just don't."
WWE's goal was to help Heidenreich become a fundamentally sound wrestling performer, but the results weren't so appealing. Heidenreich wasn't a fan of wrestling growing up, which meant he didn't have a comprehensive idea of the industry.
"And in my opinion, and I might be wrong, and the Jon Heidenreich fan club might disagree, but I thought Jon had a problem assimilating the nuances of being a pro wrestling performer. As far as a bad guy or anything, no, some guys just don't have, you know, he didn't grow up a fan, he didn't know the product as much, or you could disconnect whether at some point in your formative years. Sometimes it's hard to regain that, and I think that's the case with Jon."
Jon Heidenreich was pushed into a big storyline with The Undertaker during the early days of his WWE run, which relayed the company's intentions of making him a big star.
The Heidenreich project never really took off, and WWE would later pair him up with Road Warrior Animal. Heidenreich was even an official member of The Legion of Doom, and he won the Tag Team Championship on one occasion.
Heidenreich was released from WWE in January 2006, and he has since wrestled sporadically.
Please credit 'Grilling JR' and give a H/T to SK Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.