Heidenreich Reveals Reason For WWE Release: ‘Some Of It Was My Bad Decisions’

Published: 2 hours ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 1 hour ago by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

WWE

Former WWE Tag Team Champion Heidenreich has revealed the reason why he was released from his contract in 2006.

Having returned to WWE in 2003, around two years after initially signing a developmental deal, Heidenreich would be released for a second time in January 2006.

During a recent appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the now-retired star would open up about his release, revealing how his own behavior was a contributing factor, saying:

“Some of it was my bad decisions at the time. I was showing up late for some shows. I guess it was mostly me probably being late. I would say that it was my bad.

“I didn’t realize how lucky I was, and the opportunity I had at the time. I mean, I worked my whole life to make it a football; I really didn’t make it to that level. I get in wrestling and get to that level, and here I am. I was doing Legion of Doom, we had the belts, I think we maybe dropped them, but still a top spot, bro.

“I had an ear infection issue where I couldn’t wrestle, but that wasn’t the reason they sent me home and released me a couple days after that. It was a buildup of probably me being stupid and then them probably thinking, man, this guy’s out of hand. Maybe release him and get he either gets himself straight and comes back, which I never really tried to go back.

“A bunch of times people would tell me you need to go to this house show or show and talk to somebody, and I think my pride was too big, stupid.”

Heidenreich’s WWE release would see the star head back to the independent wrestling scene, later retiring, although he would make a return for a small number of matches in 2016, with his last in-ring appearance being in a battle royal at BOTB 6: Night of Champions in February 2018.

The Next Big Thing

Returning to WWE in September 2003, the star would be repackaged the following year, heading to SmackDown and being under the management of Paul Heyman.

Looking back at Heyman’s interests as a manager, alongside names such as Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, The Big Show and Kurt Angle, Heidenreich has been in heady company as an early example of a client to the renowned on-screen (and behind the scenes) figure.

Heidenreich would comment on Heyman during the interview with Van Vliet, declaring:

“I mean, he’s tremendous. I mean, in the wrestling business… that’s like a genius mind. Like a Tesla in wrestling. He’s a great guy. So that was huge, man.”

While Heidenreich’s WWE career may not have followed the same path as the aforementioned names, there was clearly every opportunity for him to become the top star that he was destined to become. A feud with The Undertaker could be seen as a display of faith that WWE creative, led by Vince McMahon at the time, had in their “next big thing”, although it didn’t always play out as, perhaps, it should.

Heidenreich has survived tense moments in his early WWE career, recounting how he thought he was done after injurying Randy Orton during a training session, yet went on to feature prominently on Raw and SmackDown, only for his career to flounder due to, in his own words, “bad decisions at the time”.

Now very much retired, perhaps, one day, Heidenreich will get his chance to say one last goodbye to the WWE fans.