Mideon Explains How His Naked WWE Gimmick Got Started

Kurt Angle made a huge impact on pro wrestling, putting together some fantastic matches and segments that created a Hall Of Fame career. But he was also the inspiration for the Naked Mideon character, oh it's true, it's damn true. Mideon told "Oh You Didn't Know" that the former Olympian would often just be standing around naked after his matches, leading him to earn the nickname of "naked man," and Mideon's desire to prank Angle then led to him taking on the infamous gimmick as he stood backstage with just a towel on until Angle returned later in the night.

"Kurt comes back and he's talking and he goes in and takes a shower and he comes back out and he pulls his underwear off and I drop my towel and I go, 'I am the naked man,'" Mideon said. "Then [Blackjack] Lanza comes and goes, 'Hey we need someone for a meet and greet,' and I threw on my towel and walked out into the hallway and was like 'Where is this meet and greet?'" That story then ended up being passed around and the news quickly made its way to Vince McMahon, who decided to have him run through a match after he heard about Mideon running around naked in the building. While the gimmick wasn't one people took seriously and was there to provide comedic relief only, Mideon doesn't see that as a negative. 

"It's so funny, that's all anybody ever talks about and they're like, 'Oh, that must've been terrible,' I was like, this is '98, '99, I'm getting my head kicked in by Vader, and all these guys every single night," he said. "I got paid the exact same amount of money for like eight months to run to the ring in my fanny pack."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Oh You Didn't Know" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.