After the recent release of WWE’s documentary on superfan Vladimir Abouzeide, one wrestler who was prominently featured in the film, Sid Vicious, has been generating buzz in the wrestling community. Sid, also known as Sid Justice, was a physical marvel in his prime, standing at almost seven feet tall and weighing over 300 pounds. While he may not have been the most technically skilled in the ring, Sid’s charisma and character made him a fan favorite.
In 1991, Sid was a top star for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) when he began negotiations with WWE, then known as the World Wrestling Federation. Sid reportedly called WWE owner Vince McMahon and expressed his desire to take Hulk Hogan’s spot as the top star. McMahon agreed, and Sid’s signing was heavily promoted as the next big thing in wrestling.
Sid’s first major angle in WWE was as the special referee for a match between Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam. This marked the beginning of Sid’s rise to stardom, as he was being positioned as Hogan’s successor. However, his time in WWE was short-lived.
At WrestleMania VIII, Sid faced Hogan in a match that was teased as Hogan’s last. Hogan won by disqualification, but Sid’s villainous turn was overshadowed by the return of the Ultimate Warrior, who came to Hogan’s aid. Sid was set to begin a program with Warrior, but he abruptly left WWE shortly after.
In a shoot interview, Sid revealed that he was frustrated with WWE and had disagreements with Warrior over their match in Baltimore. Sid refused to let Warrior kick out of his finisher, the powerbomb, and threatened to leave WWE if it happened again. True to his word, Sid left the company shortly after.
The circumstances surrounding Sid’s departure from WWE remain uncertain. There were rumors that he failed a drug test, but Sid denied this. Another theory suggested that Sid quit WWE to focus on playing softball, a sport he was passionate about.
Longtime WWE employee Bruce Prichard, who currently serves as the Executive Director of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown, spoke about Sid’s reputation for being an unreliable worker. Prichard mentioned that Sid often wanted things done his way and would go off and do something else if he didn’t get his way. This reputation, along with his sporadic availability due to softball season and mysterious injuries, made Sid unreliable in the eyes of WWE management.
Despite his disappointing first run in WWE, Sid made several returns to the company over the years. He won the WWE Championship twice and headlined WrestleMania as the world champion against the Undertaker. However, a gruesome leg injury in 2001 effectively ended Sid’s full-time career.
Sid’s last appearance for WWE came in 2012 when he defeated Heath Slater as part of the celebration leading up to the 1000th episode of Raw.
To read more about Sid Justice’s departure from WWE and his time in the company, visit Cageside Seats.