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In the early 2000s, Shane McMahon helped out behind the scenes on WWE syndicated shows such as Jakked and Sunday Night Heat. An occasional competitor on those programs, Vito DeNucci, recently recalled how Perry Saturn complained to McMahon about his booking.
Saturn defeated DeNucci in a three-minute contest on the January 5, 2002, episode of Jakked. At the time, the former WCW star's in-ring performances were being closely monitored after he intentionally hurt another opponent, Brian Gamble, in a previous match.
On the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast, DeNucci said he witnessed an argument between McMahon and Saturn on the day of an event:
"As we're walking in toward the locker rooms, I walk past, there's Perry and there's Shane McMahon, and they're off to the side having a very heated conversation. Perry was not a happy man. At that point, Shane was pretty heavily involved, if I'm not mistaken, with the syndicated shows, the stuff you saw on Sunday Night Heat (…) Put two and two together, Perry's not happy about his spot on the card, that kind of thing." [20:05 – 20:39]
The match between DeNucci and Saturn did not go according to plan. Early in the bout, DeNucci suffered a broken nose and a concussion after Saturn knocked him to the mat with a headbutt. As a result of his injuries, a dazed DeNucci missed a spot later on in the contest.
What happened after Perry Saturn and Vito DeNucci's WWE match?
Veteran WWE producer Michael Hayes apologized to the injured Vito DeNucci after he returned backstage. Perry Saturn, by contrast, appeared to lack sympathy for his opponent.
According to DeNucci, Saturn felt he should not have messed up a spot despite his injuries. He added that a series of incidents, including the Jakked match, ultimately led to the former Radical's departure from the company:
"In the aftermath, he broke my nose, dislocated my jaw, and I had a concussion," DeNucci continued. "I walked out to my car that night. I didn't know where I was. I could have been at the freaking mall at that point. He ended up getting fired, I think it was two weeks later, and that was one of the straws that broke the camel's back." [25:01 – 25:20]
Saturn wrestled for WWE between 2000 and 2002. The 56-year-old previously worked for WCW, where he became a two-time World Television Champion and two-time World Tag Team Champion. He also won the tag titles three times in ECW.
Do you have any memories of Perry Saturn in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
