Sylvain Grenier Says WWE Should Have Done More With This Former Star
Former WWE star Sylvain Grenier believes that Nick Dinsmore, who played the Eugene gimmick, could've been used differently in WWE.
Eugene was an intellectually disabled wrestler who had a memorable run during the Ruthless Aggression era. He was introduced as Eric Bischoff's nephew and was a cheerful and physically capable wrestler who became a popular babyface in his three-year run. Grenier, who was also in WWE during the time, looked back on the Eugene character on "Developmentally Speaking."
"This guy (Dinsmore) is one of the best wrestlers WWE ever had and becomes the character Eugene. Did he do great with the character? Yeah. Could he have done more as the real pro wrestler? I think so," said the former La Résistance member.
Eugene had quite a remarkable WWE career, achieving many things in his short reign in the promotion. He held the World Tag Team Championship win William Regal, a spotlight match with Triple H at SummerSlam 2004, fought Kurt Angle at SummerSlam 2005, had an in-ring segment with The Rock on "WWE Raw," and was saved by Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 21. But, Grenier explained how Eugene could have been a bigger success in WWE.
"It all depends when they give you the ball, what you do with it, and you really have to roll. You don't f—up," Grenier said.
Eugene copied the signature moves of his favorite wrestlers, which included using the Rock Bottom, Stunner, and even a Leg Drop at times, all to the delight of fans. Dinsmore said the character's portrayal was influenced by the Raymond Babbitt character from "Rain Man" as well as the autistic son of wrestling veteran Rip Rogers.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Developmentally Speaking" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.