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ECW Legend The Sandman has disclosed how much money Eric Bischoff paid him to work for WCW.
The Sandman made his name in Extreme Championship Wrestling for his beer-drinking, cane-swinging antics. These shenanigans earned him a couple of ECW World Championship reigns and the admiration of the ECW faithful. Though he would never reach the same heights, he would enjoy runs in other major American promotions like WWE, TNA/IMPACT, and WCW.
During a recent interview clip uploaded to the WSI - Wrestling Shoot Interviews YouTube Channel, Sandman talked about World Championship Wrestling. The former Hardcore Hak mentioned precisely how much money WCW's Eric Bischoff offered him.
Sandman outlined his first meeting with Eric and said that the negotiations were quick. He added that Eric Bischoff offered him a three-year deal and over half-a-million dollars a year.
"Flew down to Atlanta and he took me out to lunch, and we signed a three-year, $750,000 contract. It was like a twenty-minute lunch 'cos he had to get back. Something happened," he said (0:07 - 0:27)
Furthermore, he mentioned that although the lunch meeting was only 20 minutes long, contract negotiations were shorter still, apparently taking 'less than two minutes.'
Why did The Sandman sign with Eric Bischoff and WCW so quickly?
Sandman noted that a fellow ECW icon and current WWE personality was the reason for his speedy WCW signing.
Paul Heyman, the owner and creative mind behind ECW, had rubbed Hardcore Hak the wrong way. This led to Sandman's exit from the Philadelphia-based promotion.
"I wanted to leave Paul [Heyman] because, f**kin', I was p***ed at Paul, so I wanted a job. And yeah, I just wanted to leave Paul," he added (0:35 - 0:49)
Sandman then worked for WCW from 1998 to 1999, as part of a misguided push into hardcore wrestling for the promotion, and fought the likes of Raven and Bam Bam Bigalow during this time. He was eventually released from his contract as a part of cost-cutting measures after just a year.
What do you think of The Sandman's comments on Eric Bischoff? Did you enjoy his WCW run as a Hardcore Hak? You can share your thoughts in the comment section below.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit WSI - Wrestling Shoot Interviews and H/T Sportskeeda for transcriptions.
