Vince McMahon’s WWE Exit Believed to Have Squashed Popular Superstar Gimmick

WWE released a number of Superstars over the past year, and Rick Boogs’ name was on that list. He has not re-appeared anywhere else, but he also strongly believes that removing Vince McMahon from the equation was a death blow to his character.

Rick Boogs was let go by WWE in September 2023. After his release, he expressed a strong belief that the departure of Vince McMahon was the decisive factor in the demise of his wrestling career. His last wrestling appearance was at WWE SummerSlam 2023, where he participated in the Slim Jim Battle Royal.

Rick Boogs previously ranted on social media about how someone in WWE had something against him. Those sentiments don’t seem to have diminished in recent memory.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, the former Rick Boogs discussed his comments on YouTube and him saying he was certain Vince’s removal killed his career. He did not really back down from that stance at all.

“Well, I mean, if you look at it objectively, look at my NXT run and then look at when I was seen by Vince and look at that run. Then, when management and the whole regime changed again, look at that run. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, he was injured.’ I was supposed to be brought back early when I wasn’t cleared, a month or two after rehab. I was really pumped. ‘Yeah, let’s get back out there,’ and it was kiboshed.”

When he was asked about his comment regarding someone having a grudge against him, Rick Boogs replied with a bit of a cryptic statement about he was told within the company.

“Grudge isn’t the right word. In development, I was told, ‘You have an awesome personality, and people like you, and the crowd is with you. Just keep getting better in the ring.’ Basically, with that regime, that’s all I ever heard. Dude, this is scripted television. We can make this whatever. It’s frustrating, but at the same time, I get where both sides are coming from.”

Rick Boogs and his guitar gimmick worked well with Shinsuke Nakamura. That was a lot of fun, but then an injury really killed his momentum. Sadly, Vince McMahon was a huge fan of his, and Boogs lost that massive support eventually as well.

We will have to see if any other pro wrestling company takes a chance on Rick Boogs. He has a ton of charisma, and he is very talented in many ways. Only time will tell if he ends up making WWE regret releasing him in time.

What’s your take on Rick Boogs’ future in pro wrestling? Do you expect to see him on another company’s show soon enough? Let us know what you think in the comments section!