10 Behind The Scenes Reasons For Wrestling Characters' Quirks
5. Ron Simmons' "DAMN!" Was Initially A Reaction To Things Going Wrong In The Ring
Everyone has their go-to phrase they choose to erupt into existence whenever things start to go somewhat sideways. And in the case of wrestling legend Ron Simmons, said reliable instinctive outburst ultimately went on to become far more integral to his on-screen character than he ever likely imagined.
Jumping back to a time before Simmons' was synonymous with an awkward pause swiftly followed by an almighty "DAMN!", the APA worker would typically find himself letting slip that very word whenever things started to go wrong for the former Farooq and Bradshaw during one of their tag matches.
Sure enough, fans "in the first six or seven rows" would regularly catch Simmons' frustrated "DAMNS!", with more and more folks in attendance chanting the word back to the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion every time the team returned to those towns.
In the end, backstage writers were said to have spotted this organic reaction and decided to try and make some magic out of the connection.
So, during an eventual televised exchange between John Cena and Booker T later down the road, Simmons was instructed to just walk out and shout his tried-and-tested "DAMN!" after the back-and-forth had finished... and another glorious catchphrase was born.