Bet You Didn’t Know These WWE Superstars Are From New England
Growing up during “The Attitude Era” of World Wrestling Entertainment was memorable for millennials all over the country. But it was extra special for New Englanders.
After all, the onetime WWF first began as a Northeast territory, with the late Vincent J. McMahon booking shows from New York to Boston, and his son, Vincent K. McMahon, cutting his teeth up in Maine.
TBS wasn’t offered on many cable packages in the early '90s, so while WCW began its brief run as WWE’s main competition, the McMahons’ family business was all we knew.
Perhaps that explains why so many WWE Superstars didn’t have to travel far when it was time to take that big meeting in Stamford, Connecticut.
Of course, everyone knows the big names coming out of New England, most notably John Cena and Triple H.
But you may not know some other familiar faces that hail from the region, such as Matt Bloom, a.k.a. Prince Albert or, upon his 2012 return, Lord Tensai. Bloom grew up in Peabody and was childhood friends with acclaimed standup comedian Gary Gulman.
In the late '90s, you might spot him at Gold’s Gym in Salisbury (and hope he didn’t join your pickup basketball game.)
Before he was Scotty 2 Hotty, Scott Taylor worked as “enhancement talent” on WWE’s Saturday morning syndicated shows, helping put over top stars while eating pinfalls.
He finally got his big break when partnered with Grand Master Sexy and Rikishi to form 2 Cool in 1999, making everyone back in Westbrook, Maine, proud.
If you’ve kept up with R-Truth’s unprecedented reign of 24/7 championships, you’re no doubt familiar with the work of his onetime accomplice and Massachusetts native Carmella (whose father, Paul Van Dale, made the stars look good by counting the lights on Saturday mornings).
But of course, you can’t have a match without a referee, and New England gave us two notable names in stripes.
The once rogue Dangerous Danny Davis hails from right here in Dover, New Hampshire, while the late Tim White not only laid down the law in the ring, but ran Providence, Rhode Island’s Friendly Tap (which was often destroyed – then immediately refurbished – on the orders of McMahon when a barroom brawl was needed for TV).
Though White had another distinction for which he was likely most proud: the traveling partner and assistant to…one Andre the Giant.