The Godfather Almost Went To WCW For Virgil’s Role

WWE Hall of Famer The Godfather was one of the mainstays of the company during the early 90s, where he was Papa Shango. When he embraced his Godfather gimmick in 1998, the WWE Hall Of Famer truly became well-known name in the company. It seems Ron Simmons helped him out in a huge way.

However, The Godfather’s controversial pimp gimmick received a ton of complaints from the Parents Television Council (PTC), due to which Vince McMahon cut the character off. He was rebranded into The Goodfather and even joined the Right to Censor faction.

While speaking to Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, The Godfather talked about his career in WWE. The Godfather also explained why he didn’t make his way to WCW even though he could have. It ultimately came down to Ron Simmons convincing him not to go.

“My contract was coming up with the WWE and that was during the wars. Razor and all those guys had gone over there. I had worked out a deal with those guys to come in as the bodyguard for them. They said, ‘We’re going to have you as the bodyguard for maybe the first year and break off.’ I said, ‘Cool.’ So I worked out a deal with them. I wasn’t going to sign with WWE at the time. I’m calling this person and they’re not calling me back.”

Advertising

Advertising

“I’m calling Jim Barnett and he’s not calling me back. I’m calling this one and calling that one. All of a sudden I’m watching the show and I see Virgil come out in that spot. I’m not going to get into the reasons, but they chose to save money and go with Virgil which I’m glad because they just clowned Virgil in the first place.”

“Ron (Simmons) had told me when I was ready to go in there, he said, ‘You don’t want to go there. You’re from the north. You’re not used to dealing with these guys. I am. You might have a hard time there.’ I said, ‘Well, I don’t care. I’m not afraid of anybody.’ He said, ‘It’s not about being afraid of anybody. You’re not going to fit in there. You’re not going to fit in with what they do there.’ He told me, ‘Don’t go.’

Right to Censor was disbanded in 2001 and then The Godfather was allowed to revert back to his old pimp character before being released in 2002. Regardless, his contributions to the Attitude Era will never be forgotten as his career in WCW might not have been as memorable.

h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the quotes.

What’s your take on this story? Sound off in the comments!