Jim Ross confirmed that Dennis Rodman had received an offer from the World Wrestling Federation to appear at WrestleMania 13 in a program with Goldust before Rodman called Hulk Hogan, which led to Eric Bischoff closing the deal and bringing Rodman to WCW instead.
Speaking on the Grilling JR podcast with Conrad Thompson, Ross said WWE had planned Rodman as a one-time attraction for WrestleMania and that the company believed the pairing with Goldust made sense given Rodman’s public persona at the time, which included showing up to book signings in a wedding dress.
“We thought for a one-off, one-time-only appearance by Dennis, it would be a hit, because he was kind of polarizing,” Ross said. “We were disappointed, no doubt, because it seemed like it was going to be a layup.”
Ross said Rodman was viewed as filling the attraction role that Roddy Piper had played at WrestleMania 12 with the Hollywood Backlot Brawl against Goldust. “He was what we needed for that attraction, for that Piper role of an outsider coming in and doing his thing,” Ross said.
Bischoff Closed the Deal
The deal fell apart when Rodman, who was a fan of Hulk Hogan, reached out to Hogan directly. The agents got involved, and Bischoff closed the deal over the phone. Rodman would appear at WCW’s Uncensored pay-per-view and later wrestle a match as a special attraction that summer, which drew significant business for WCW.
“It was frustrating for everybody,” Ross said. He acknowledged that Bischoff was “smart enough and aggressive enough and bold enough to make it happen” and that WCW likely paid Rodman significantly more than WWE had planned to offer.
The timing was especially painful for WWE because WCW’s signing of Rodman generated front-page news in the Chicago market just two weeks before WrestleMania 13, which was taking place at the Rosemont Horizon in the Chicago suburbs.
Ross said the loss was disappointing but not a dealbreaker. “Was it a deal breaker? No. It was, to me, it was always going to be a one-time deal,” he said. “WCW got more than one out of Dennis.”
Dennis Rodman was recently announced for induction into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2026.
If you use quotes from this article, please credit the source and include a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
