In 2004, Nick Dinsmore debuted in WWE as “Eugene,” the nephew of Eric Bischoff. The character was portrayed as somebody with special needs and even though the character would eventually become comedy fodder, Dinsmore did have some heartwarming moments during the run. Some of those included working with The Rock on RAW, facing Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship and facing Triple H at the 2004 SummerSlam event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Dinsmore discussed whether or not the character would work in 2020, how working with The Rock elevated the character, and more.
Does he think the Eugene character would still work if he debuted in 2020?
“One thing I know about WWE is that they can almost always make anything work. You know what I mean? When Eugene first started, I didn’t have my first match on TV for two or three weeks and in those first two or three weeks some people I had heard, like radio stations or news outlets were saying ‘What is WWE going to do with this character?’. But the minute I won my first match, then they know it’s an underdog story of a boy with a dream wanting to be a wrestler and he’s fulfilling that dream.”
Was he concerned that fans would think he was mocking people with special needs?
“I thought about that going in but it was my opportunity but I was either going to sink or swim on it. But I had got so much positive affirmation afterwards. So many people said to me, ‘My brother has special needs and he told me that he can do anything because Eugene did it’. I heard that more times than I heard, ‘You’re making fun of people’. No, instead I heard ‘You’re giving them a voice’ or ‘Oh my God, there’s someone like me’. That’s what I want to be. That’s what WWE should be a representation of every type of person that there is around the world.”
How being in a storyline with The Rock elevated his career to the next level:
“When they put me in the ring with The Rock, that elevated me like oh my God. Then people knew who I was and then fans really got endeared to me because I was The Rock’s friend. They liked Eugene and he was funny and he was building, but that just put it over the top. It went from a slow build to oh my God, you’re a top guy now. You’re made.”
You can check out the full interview below:
