Swoggle, formerly known as Hornswoggle in WWE, had a remarkable run in WWE, but it took several years for him to get the chance to truly showcase his skills as a wrestler.
During a recent interview with WrestleZone, Swoggle recalled how a glaring booking oversight gave him the opportunity to shine, and he knocked it out of the park. In doing so, he introduced fans to a new side of himself. No longer was he simply Hornswoggle, the comic relief. He proved that he was a wrestler, and he had a memorable run as an in-ring competitor. To this day, many fans remember his WeeLC Match with El Torito at WWE Extreme Rules 2014 as one of the highlights of his WWE career.
In the same interview, Swoggle looked back on this bout, a new take on WWE’s popular Tables, Ladders, and Chairs stipulation, and described why it was the pinnacle of his career. He explained that this match certainly ranked near the top of his list, as far as the favorite moments, because it let him prove his doubters wrong in front of the whole world. The former WWE star also named his first WrestleMania, when Mr. Kennedy slammed him off a ladder, and his unforgettable storyline as Mr. McMahon’s illegitimate son, as two other highlights.
“I say in every interview I’ve ever done, I will never do anything better than WeeLC, ever in my life,” said Swoggle. “I mean the Payback match was absolutely incredible too that no one talks about ever, because we almost booked it backward. We did a regular single, a mask versus hair second, compared to the crazy WeeLC match we did. But I’ll never do something better than WeeLCin my whole career.
“And that night, man, it was the most special night of my career. Well, top three. My debut was incredible, and then the night with my first WrestleMania with [Mr.] Kennedy. And those three things really kind of, and then actually the Vince [McMahon], man, it might be a top five, but if WeeLC is definitely, if it’s not too three, it’s four. Because it was just again, it was proving everything clicked man. Everything clicked that night. And it was proving everyone wrong. I’ve always, always wanted to prove people wrong. And again, that’s so cliche, but that’s just how I’ve lived my life.”
As Swoggle mentioned, his bitter rivalry with El Torito continued into the next pay-per-view, WWE Payback. There, the two foes clashed in a Mask vs. Hair Match, and though many fans remember WeeLC, this second high-profile clash flies under the radar. But Swoggle described how this contest was also quite special, as he pushed himself to try something new by diving out of the ring. In doing so, he created another memory that will last a lifetime.
“[It was] crazy,” said Swoggle. “I did a flip through the ropes and literally like, that was a thought of, I’m gonna try this. And then I remember getting the crash pad out and Finlay was one of the agents for the match, and he goes, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m going to do a dive through the ropes.’ He goes, ‘Okay.’ I said, ‘But over the middle rope.’
“And I kept doing it, where I couldn’t just land flat. I kept flipping out of like being scared. And I was like, oh I think I have something here. And so I did it again and I did it again. And he goes, ‘Do you think you could hit this every time?’ I said, ‘I know I can.’ And so I did it in the match, and it was like one of those moments where I never would think I would do that in a WWE ring. Like no, it shouldn’t happen.”
Unfortunately, both the WeeLC Match and the bout at WWE Payback were held on the pre-show, so they didn’t get the attention they deserve. Still, Swoggle expressed his stance that, no matter where he’s wrestling on the card, his goal — stealing the show — remains the same.
“But that match again, pre-show, after we killed it on the pre-show at WeeLC, we’re still on the pre-show at Payback,” said Swoggle. “And it’s just one of those things that, okay we should have been on the main show, but I don’t care, I’ll steal the show before the show.”
Since his WWE release in 2016, Swoggle has continued to shine throughout the wrestling world; he had noteworthy runs with IMPACT Wrestling, and he also made a cameo on AEW Dynamite when The Inner Circle made a trip to Las Vegas. He recently described how he has the “itch” to wrestle more, but he’s still recovering from back surgery.
Read More: Swoggle On Wanting To Do More In Wrestling: ‘I Get The Itch,’ I Want To Make More ‘Crazy Memories’
