Having control over a wrestling promotion or any company as Vince McMahon had, there are times when you’ll need to really flex your power. Vince has probably done it multiple times over the decades but one time that was recalled by former WWE Tag Team Champion Rene Dupree was when John Laurinaitis fired The Boogeyman.
Rene Dupree Recalls the Time Vince McMahon Reversed John Laurinaitis Firing The Boogeyman
The Boogeyman was regular presence on WWE television between 2005 and 2009 and made his home on the SmackDown brand before being drafted to ECW in 2007. His cartoonishly odd character made for an even odder fit for the ECW brand which had gotten away from extreme nostalgia.
Since 2012, The Boogeyman has been signed to WWE on a Legends deal and makes infrequent appearances often for special shows. Debuting on the main roster in 2003, Rene Dupree had just been moved to SmackDown when The Boogeyman made his WWE debut.
After returning from time in OVW following an injury, Dupree was sent to ECW in 2006. He was at the end of his suspension when The Boogeyman was drafted to ECW but left the company over a month later in late July 2007.
While Rene Dupree didn’t specify why John Laurinaitis fired The Boogeyman on his Cafe de Rene podcast, he said that Vince McMahon got word of the worm-eating superstar’s release from the company and rehired him quickly.
“Did you ever hear the story about Boogeyman, when he got hired? He got fired in the morning at 9 A.M. and then rehired at 3 O’Clock in the afternoon the same day. You remember Johnny Ace? So, Johnny didn’t like [The Boogeyman] and then, I guess he thought he had enough power to be able to fire someone like [The Boogeyman]. And then when Vince found out that [The Boogeyman] was fired, he made Johnny Ace call him up and rehire him. I think with a raise, actually.” (h/t: Sportskeeda)
It appears that the six hour turnaround was purely because Vince McMahon had to get news of the firing—which seems long for a company as large as WWE and involving a superstar who is regularly on television.
What do you think John Laurinaitis fired The Boogeyman for? As Dupree said Laurinaitis disliked The Boogeyman but what did the superstar do to get fired? Share your guess in the comments!
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