WWE legend "could not put a sentence together" in promo rehearsals, Vince Russo recalls (Exclusive)
Vince Russo was WWE's head writer in the late 1990s before joining WCW. The 63-year-old recently recalled how a prominent wrestler during that time, Sean Waltman, initially struggled to develop his on-screen character.
Waltman became known as The 1-2-3 Kid after defeating Scott Hall, aka Razor Ramon, on the May 17, 1993, episode of RAW. He also wrestled under the names Syxx and X-Pac in WCW and WWE, respectively.
Russo appeared on Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Outlaws show with Dr. Chris Featherstone and EC3. Analyzing how wrestling legend Ricky Steamboat would have fared in the Attitude Era, Russo told a story about Waltman's issues on the microphone:
"I remember being in a pre-tape room with The 1-2-3 Kid for like three hours. Bro, he could not put a sentence together, but that's why when you work with the talent you know who needs more help, so those that need more help you just work with them more and more and more. More reps, more reps, more reps, so if you needed to get Ricky Steamboat to that level, I'm convinced you would have got him to that level." [2:18 – 2:51]
In the video above, EC3 and Russo reacted to creative team member Bruce Prichard's claim that Steamboat would have failed in the Attitude Era.
How Sean Waltman became a two-time WWE Hall of Famer
After three years in WWE, Sean Waltman became a member of the legendary nWo faction in WCW in 1996. He returned to the Stamford-based promotion in 1998 and established himself as a key figure in the D-Generation X stable in the Attitude Era.
Waltman won several titles during that time, including the European Championship and the Light Heavyweight Championship twice each.
The 52-year-old was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a D-Generation X member in 2019. He was also part of the WWE HoF Class of 2020 alongside nWo stablemates Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall.
What are your favorite Sean Waltman moments? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
If you use quotes from this article, please credit The Wrestling Outlaws and embed the video, giving an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.