40 Years Of Fascinating WWE WrestleMania Facts (Part 1)

4. 'Mania VII - Surely Not

Ultimate Warrior Sabotage
WWE.com

Disclaimer: Bruce Prichard talks a lot of absolute nonsense on his podcast, and if that reads as no good Meltzer mark talk, you hear?, consider that Bruce claims that there was no racism in the Triple H Vs. Booker T storyline and that Triple H only said "people like you" because he meant "people who came from WCW".

Triple H himself came from WCW, and Goldberg was never told that he was there to dance for him.

It's possible, then, that Bruce Prichard was talking his usual carny podcast waffle when claiming, incredibly, that Hulk Hogan's original WrestleMania VII opponent was Tugboat.

Tugboat.

The thing is, if that's a rib, it's too funny for Bruce Prichard. Have you seen the absolute state of the comedy segments he presided over for decades?

It doesn't track. He must have been telling the truth.

Bruce claimed on his podcast that the original Iraq sympathiser was meant to be Tugboat, but they weren't going to call him that, obviously. He had to have a different name reflecting his new character. That name?

SHEIK TUGBOAT.

An anthropomorphic boat that hated America sounds too stupid even for WWE - until you consider that they workshopped the Gobbledy Gooker around the same time.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!