"How about he doesn't get drafted" - Vince McMahon's reaction to WWE legend's idea
WWE Hall of Famer JBL recently reflected on the storyline he suggested to Vince McMahon in 2016. The former world champion's pitch revolved around Heath Slater not getting picked in the WWE draft.
In 2016, WWE decided to split both RAW and SmackDown, meaning superstars would only be exclusive to one show. After the likes of Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, and Finn Balor were drafted early, the rest of the roster followed. However, one superstar who found themselves undrafted was Heath Slater.
Slater recently made an appearance on the podcast Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw. On the show, JBL spoke of how he discussed the idea that Slater not getting drafted would make for great television. The Chairman was receptive to the plan and decided to proceed with it.
"Vince loved it. I went to talk to Vince and said, 'At the NFL Draft, it's a real big deal when somebody gets drafted last.' Vince looks at me and his eye just lit up and he goes, 'Are you thinking Heath Slater?' I said, 'Yes, that's exactly who I'm thinking.' Right away, Vince is like, 'How about he doesn't get drafted and we turn the lights out on him and he's a free agent and goes between shows?' That's how the whole idea came about." H/T Fightful
Heath Slater took a silly "I Got Kids" t-shirt, turned it into the most interesting storyline of 2016, and became the first ever SmackDown Tag Team Champion. That's impressive.
Plus, 3MB - as goofy as they were - will always have a special place in my heart. https://t.co/UNzCF3np9T
Despite his position on the card at the time, Slater not getting drafted led to an entertaining run in WWE. The 38-year-old star would go on to capture the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with Rhyno.
Vince McMahon saw immense potential in Heath Slater's "I've got kids!!" promo
During his supposed "free agency," Slater would hop from RAW to SmackDown as he tried to get a contract on either show.
A memorable part of the story came when Slater dared to get in the face of Brock Lesnar. The former champion was hopeful of securing a contract due to his courageous approach.
Happy Birthday Brock Lesnar.
He once told Heath Slater “I don’t give a s*** about your kids”
Legend.
https://t.co/1fHCQNCWyw
Speaking on the podcast Table Talk, Heath recapped how his famous "I Got Kids" line was improvised. Despite the unplanned nature of the line, Heath's promo managed to capture the attention of Vince McMahon.
"Paul’s (Heyman) cutting a promo. I d**n forgot what my next line was. I’m just like, ‘Damnit, all these people here know I’m gonna get my ass kicked! He knows he’s gonna whup my a*s, I know it, but I have to do this. I have kids! I need this job!’ And then next thing I know, I guess Vince in the back was like, ‘Woah! I got kids, I need this job. Print that out! Print that out, we need that!’ That was not even in my damn lines." H/T Wrestling Headlines
Despite being a reliable superstar for Vince McMahon over the years, Slater was released from WWE in April 2020. Since then, the veteran has gone on to find success in IMPACT Wrestling. The One Man Rock Band's debut at Slammiversary 2020 was also named IMPACT's moment of the year.