Ten years ago, I stood outside the New Daisy Theater in Memphis, Tennessee waiting for the arrival of four newcomers to the MCW promotion, the WWE’s Developmental territory. All four were coming from San Antonio, Texas and I was anxious to make sure they arrived.
Shooter Schultz, Lance Cade, Spanky and American Dragon were signed as a result of a dark match they had a few months earlier. It was a spotfest, completely devoid of psychology but the match featured four hungry guys looking to make it. They flipped and flew… beat the holy hell out of each other. I watched the match at the Gorilla position with their trainer, Shawn Michaels pacing next to me like an expectant father.
Cade had the size and look, Schultz looked like he could squat the world… Spanky and Dragon? They were kids who could do amazing things but there would be obstacles. As talented as they were, Spanky and American Dragon were small… too small to compete in the WWE in the year 2000. And that mask? Ugh… When they pulled up in front of the building, I told them they were all fired for being late. (Awkward silence) Nah, just kidding. They arrived and got right to work.
