WWE SmackDown Debut Wrestlers: Where Are They Now?
5. The Big Bossman
The Big Bossman was a surprisingly versatile wrestler capable of performing admirably in a number of different roles throughout his career, but 1999 was one of his worst years. It saw him feud with Al Snow, culminating in one of the most laughably bad gimmick matches in WWE history (Unforgiven’s “Kennel from Hell), before transitioning into an equally nauseating WWE Title rivalry with the Big Show.
Months after mincing Snow’s dog Pepper’s remains and feeding them to him, Bossman showed up at Big Show’s father’s funeral and drove off with the casket. The Attitude Era had a number of positive points, but taste and decency definitely weren’t among them…
These feuds killed any lingering interest the fans had in Bossman, and his career nosedived. He started teaming with Bull Buchanan on Sunday Night Heat, but the angle fell apart, and he’d all but disappeared by summer 2000. Bossman was later assigned to a trainer’s role at WWE’s Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental territory, but was eventually released in 2003.
Sadly, like many others on this card, Bossman’s story ended in tragedy. He died of a heart attack in his Dallas, Georgia home in September 2004, aged just 41, having wrestled his last match three weeks earlier in Japan. His legacy endures, however, and Bossman was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last year.