The Sandman Reveals Why WWE Took Away His Iconic Beer-Drinking Gimmick

The Sandman was one of the most unforgettable personalities in ECW, thanks to his wild entrances—smashing beer cans, chugging them down, and storming through the crowd to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” But when he made his way to WWE, things changed—and not for the better.

Speaking with Rob Van Dam on 1 Of A Kind, Sandman looked back on his 2007 departure from WWE and how the company stripped away what made him special.

“I assume this is right after SummerSlam, because right before SummerSlam, Johnny Ace calls me into his office and goes, ‘You can’t drink the beer anymore.’ I’m pissed. I’m like, ‘Johnny, how about you give me my release?’”

Instead of letting him walk, Johnny Ace threw money at the problem. “I got at least one raise out of him for asking for my release. It was up from $125,000 to $150,000.” But it didn’t take long for Sandman to realize things weren’t going to work out.

“Then, I find out, I have to stop drinking. Next thing I know, Austin is in the main event for SummerSlam. They’re taking the beer from me so I can’t do it on my entrance. I was pissed,” he said.

For the record, Steve Austin wasn’t in the 2007 SummerSlam main event, but he did appear in a segment where he drank beer and hit MVP with a Stunner. Meanwhile, Sandman was being forced to tone down the act that made him a cult favorite. By September 2007, WWE cut him loose.

With Sandman’s iconic ECW entrance still talked about today, did WWE make a mistake trying to change him? Should they have embraced his wild persona instead? Let us know in the comments!