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Vince McMahon had contrasting relationships with WWE stars during his 40 years as the company's creative figurehead. Rico Constantino, a main roster talent in the early 2000s, believes his former boss should have agreed to pay him more money.
Constantino appeared on the main roster between 2002 and 2004 after spending four years in the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) developmental territory. The 62-year-old is arguably best remembered for portraying Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo's stylist. He also won tag titles with Charlie Haas and Rikishi.
In an interview on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast, Constantino said he left WWE after being refused a pay raise:
"I got released because I asked for a raise after my three-year contract was up. I asked for a thousand bucks a week, 52 thousand [dollars per year], that's all I asked, after holding the belts twice, getting two characters over. I asked for a thousand bucks a week. That's not even chump change for Vince." [0:45 – 1:06]
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Constantino's final WWE match ended in defeat against Billy Kidman on the November 6, 2004, episode of Velocity. He left the company one day after the pre-recorded bout aired.
Rico Constantino rejected two WWE returns
After two-and-a-half years on the main roster, Rico Constantino had the opportunity to return to WWE television twice later in his career.
The two-time Tag Team Champion opted not to rejoin the company due to the stressful experience of his previous run:
"I wasn't under Vince's thumb," Constantino continued. "I didn't like that. It was stressful for me because I didn't know whether I had a job, gonna have a job, and I didn't like that feeling. I got asked to come back twice, told them no the first time, and F no the second time." [1:11 – 1:30]
In the same interview, Constantino disclosed details about the time Shane McMahon gave him a brutally honest message before a show.
What are your favorite Rico Constantino memories? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use quotes from this article.
