101 Shocking Wrestling Plans You Won't Believe Almost Happened
11. Baron Von Bava
It's pretty obvious reading these entries (even to those who weren't in the know beforehand) that Vincent Kennedy McMahon has always been a shameless, and occasionally shameful, promoter. There isn't much McMahon would turn his nose up at, but ex-WWE writer Dan Madigan somehow managed to horrify his then boss with one calamitous pitch in 2004.
Madigan had everything ready to go, and he clearly thought everyone would adore his magnum opus. Danny boy shocked the entire team during a creative meeting by pitching Baron Von Bava, a...cryogenically frozen Nazi soldier unleashed on the world by Paul Heyman. Yes, as in Paul Heyman who's Jewish.
What on earth was Madigan smoking to think this would get a thumbs up?!
Marauding/clumsy powerhouse Jon Heidenreich would've been tasked with playing the role of Von Bava and going into battle for Heyman. All of the offensive World War II context would've been messily explained by announcers on TV, and the word "Nazi" would've stuck out amongst other acts on Raw and SmackDown.
Heidenreich was never exactly super-passionate about making it in wrestling, but even he must've been wide-eyed when he heard about this one. 'Hi Jon. Pull up a chair. Yep, so we want to turn you into a cryo-frozen Nazi super soldier from the 1940s and stick Paul E with you. That'll put some butts in seats!'.
It didn't put Vince's butt in a seat. He's said to have been so appalled by the pitch that he promptly left the meeting and seemed rather shaken up.