Before his pairing with Paul Heyman on “WWE SmackDown” during the mid-2000s, Jon Heidenreich was almost a cautionary tale. That’s because he was actually let go from WWE in the early 2000s while being under a WWE developmental deal in Ohio Valley Wrestling. Appearing on “Insight with Chris Van Vliet,” Heidenreich explained why he feels he was let go at the time.
“I hurt my shoulder…I separated my shoulder, and it took awhile to heal,” Heidenreich said. “I got surgery, then I got released, and I went to Japan.”
As Heidenreich explained it, he received the injury while doing training drills with Sean O’Hare, when the latter attempted to do a Monkey Flip on Heidenreich, leading to him landing on his shoulder. Heidenreich admits that he was a bit distrustful of WWE doctors at the time, so he wound up going to the doctor of the New Orleans Saints, where Heidenreich had briefly played during his short-lived NFL career.
“I tell you, I went to the [New Orleans] Saints doctor to have it checked and fixed, because I felt like I trusted more than the guy in Louisville,” Heidenreich said. “And it took an extra surgery to heal, for whatever reason. So it was more time I was out, you know? And when…I think I got cleared, they said they had released me.”
In the end, things wound up working out for Heidenreich anyway, as his aforementioned stint to Japan led to WWE offering a new contract a few years later. He would remain with WWE for the next three years, and would not only be managed by Heyman, but would eventually become the tag team partner of Road Warrior Animal, winning the WWE Tag Team Championships with the wrestling legend in July 2005.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
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