The Boogeyman has revealed a part of his WrestleMania 23 segment with Donald Trump that never made it to air, saying the future President nixed it because he did not want to look afraid.
Before he became President of the United States, Trump appeared on WWE television, most notably in the 2007 Battle of the Billionaires storyline with Vince McMahon. That feud headlined WrestleMania 23 in a Hair vs. Hair match, where Trump’s representative, Bobby Lashley, beat McMahon’s man, Umaga, and a defeated McMahon had his head shaved. As part of the build, a backstage comedy segment paired Trump with then-Miss USA Tara Conner, only for The Boogeyman to emerge from behind the couch and send Conner running.
Speaking to Going Ringside, The Boogeyman, real name Marty Wright, said Trump refused to play scared, which changed how the segment ended.
“He and Vince are friends, as you know. But I got to tell you, in that segment, when I come up from behind the couch … he didn’t want to be frightened,” Wright said. “So he’s talking about how this place is a circus. True enough. But he didn’t want to sell my character.”
According to Wright, that led to the part that ended up on the cutting room floor. “So he said, ‘go make me a sandwich,’ and, you know, you see me walk off screen, but then I came back and I grabbed him by the collar and I said, ‘how about a worm sandwich?'” Wright recalled. “They cut that. They cut it because he did not want to show fear.”
Wright said the decision created a problem for his character. “I got somewhat in trouble for that … because I allowed him to not show fearfulness, which almost kills the character,” he said. Still, he looked back on the experience fondly, adding, “I was very fortunate. I can say that I actually met the president before he was president.”
In the version that aired, Trump simply ordered The Boogeyman to fetch him food and carried on with his phone call, unbothered by the appearance of WWE’s resident worm-eater.
If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Going Ringside with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
