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Jim Ross says Vince McMahon raised concerns about all four members of The Radicalz after they visited his house.
The group, consisting of Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, and Perry Saturn, signed with WWE in January 2000. Ross took the former WCW stars to McMahon's home before they joined the company.
On his Grilling JR podcast, the legendary announcer recalled how McMahon liked all four men but had doubts about their size:
"I brought them all to Vince's house," Ross said. "They looked like little kids going to the counselor's office. They were small, and that's the first thing Vince said when they left, 'I like these guys, they seem to have a lot of passion, but goddam, JR, they're small.' I said, 'But they wrestle bigger than they are.'" [16:22 – 16:43]
Vince McMahon famously favored superstars with impressive physiques, such as Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior, over so-called "smaller guys." WWE was sometimes referred to as "the land of the giants" during McMahon's tenure, particularly in the 1980s when six-foot-plus superstars dominated the main-event scene.
Jim Ross convinced Vince McMahon to hire The Radicalz
Although Vince McMahon doubted their potential as future main-eventers, he agreed to let Jim Ross hire The Radicalz following their WCW departure.
Ross told the former WWE Chairman that Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, and Saturn were eager to prove themselves after disappointing ends to their WCW careers:
"I said, 'There's exceptions to all these rules. That's why I think they're a fresh face, they're gonna push. They believe that their opportunities are now and that they have waited long enough to come to WWE,' which was the Mecca at that time, for sure. 'So, I wanna hire them,' and we hired them," Ross added. [17:04 – 17:27]
In 2004, Benoit and Guerrero overcame McMahon's initial doubts by winning the World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Championship, respectively.
Do you have any memories of The Radicalz in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
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