Sycho Sid was a celebrated performer at the height of his career, but not everyone was a fan – and now Mick Foley thinks he knows why.
Enjoying a three-decade career, the real-life Sid Eudy is one of wrestling’s most heralded ‘big guy’ performers. Throughout his career, Sycho Sid was a six-time World Champion, having two reigns each with the WWE, WCW, and USWA World Championships.
Although he was far from the most technically gifted athlete, Sid was a proven star. His rivalry with Shawn Michaels is one of the best of the New Generation Era, while an encounter alongside Michaels and Ahmed Johnson against Camp Cornette from July 1996 saw the live audience go wild for all things Sycho Sid.
Despite his successes, not everyone was a fan. Mick Foley, who enjoyed a WWE Championship challenge vs. Sycho Sid in February 1997, discussed ‘The Master of the Powerbomb’ on the latest Foley Is Pod:
“But I think Sid, this may just be urban legend, that when he sat down with Vince [McMahon] for the first time, and Vince told him about this plan to hand [Hulk] Hogan’s red and yellow to him. He takes it all in and goes, ‘What you need Vince is a big vicious heel.’ He didn’t understand what a gift this was to be given Hogan’s red and yellow at that time, so yes, I guess he rubbed some people the wrong way.
I worked with him not that often. I mean, I even referred to one of our episodes, correct me if I’m wrong, but this is where ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin is complimenting me, we did talk about it because this is where Vince got upset over in Europe. We did a Raw from Germany I think, and I thought it was a pretty good match. You know you’re not looking to tear the house down and have a five-star when you’re with Sid, you’re looking to have a good solid hard-hitting match. And hopefully, you do in the process. You do tear the house down.
But the next day, Steve says to me, ‘Hell of a match there kid.’ ‘Thanks, Steve.’ Then he jumped on me right away about how awful it was. So I guess it didn’t strike people as being as positive as I thought it was. But Sid, I never had the long run with Sid so I can’t tell you. You know, I can’t tell you what it was like to be [in the ring with him]. But yeah, they were all pleasant interactions.
And no question he was popular. And whether he was teaming up with Vader in WCW, that was a pretty impressive [run]. Skyscrapers, you know with Danny Spivey. You know, he did good stuff, so I don’t know what the big knock on him was.”
After departing WWE in July 1997, Sid returned to World Championship Wrestling two years after. Although he enjoyed two runs apiece as the WCW World Heavyweight and United States Heavyweight Champion, it was here that Sid suffered an infamous leg injury at the 2001 Sin pay-per-view.
He’s wrestled just 24 additional matches, including a one-night return to WWE in July 2012 to defeat Heath Slater, but has been deemed retired from professional wrestling for the past five years.
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