Sandman Talks ECW Crucifixion Angle, Leaving for WCW

The Sandman is considered one of the iconic competitors in ECW, but says he quit "on principle", which led to him spending a portion of 1999 in WCW.

"I was pissed off at Paul E. because he told me I was always going to be his highest paid player," Sandman recalled in an interview with The Whig, "and then I found out he paid Sabu like $15,000 and me $14,000 for a pay-per-view or something. So I quit on principle alone."

Sandman spent less than a year in WCW as Hardcore Hak, and after leaving he came right back to ECW.

"I knew damn sure I was going to end up back in ECW because I knew WCW was a sinking ship," he said. "They were hemorrhaging money."

Sandman was also part of arguably the most controversial moment in ECW history, when he was crucified by Raven. Kurt Angle was at the ECW Arena that night and in talks to join the promotion, but quickly changed gears when he saw the angle play out. Looking back, Sandman appears to have no regrets about the segment.

"That whole thing got blown out of proportion by Kurt f–king Angle," Sandman said. "It wasn't Kurt's fault because Kurt didn't know wrestling back then. He was a f–king gold medalist. Everything to him was a shoot, you know what I'm saying?. I tell you what, later when Undertaker hung Austin on a thing that was almost exactly like a cross on WWE, I guarantee you [Angle] didn't go into Vince's office and complain that night. I was so mad that night when we got back there."

It's worth noting that the Undertaker-Austin angle occurred in May of 1999 when Angle was still wrestling for the WWE developmental territory in Memphis. He did not make his debut on the main roster until November of that year, Survivor Series.

"First of all, I don't give a f–k.," Sandman continued. "I like Kurt; I've got a s — tload of respect for him. But back then, I was hot. I told Raven, 'Do not go out there, do not apologize, you're f–king crazy if you do."

Sandman was a five-time World Champion in ECW.