WWE Exec Bruce Prichard Discusses Fan-Favorite Character Eugene

Former WWE star Nick Dinsmore brought life to the character of Eugene during his run with the promotion and stole the hearts of the WWE Universe. 

In a recent episode of his "Something To Wrestle" podcast, Bruce Prichard explained why he liked Eugene and why the crowd fell in love with him too. "He was a fun, simple character, that the audience adored," said the WWE executive. 

Prichard then interestingly compared Eugene to Golden Era veteran, Ivan Putski.

"That was a character that was somewhat simple in their beliefs and how they looked at life and everything about it. So, that was Eugene: it was innocence -– there was the innocence about him, and he was a lovable character," he said. "So, I was always a fan, I thought he was a lot of fun, he was a lot of fun to work with and the audience adored him." 

Some online fans have debated that the portrayal of Eugene in wrestling at the time was offensive, but like Dinsmore himself, Prichard doesn't think he was. He explained that the audience loved Eugene because his gimmick depended on them. 

"If the audience didn't like it and it was bad, they would've reacted that way. Saying, 'No, this is terrible.' They didn't. They loved him, they embraced him," said Prichard. "If that character feels, you can feel that character needs the support of the audience –- then, that is a good babyface character."

Bruce Prichard's co-host Conrad Thompson questioned his comparison between Eugene and Ivan Putski, and whether the aforementioned veteran was also a "special needs character." According to Prichard, Eugene was never intended to be a character with a mental disability.

"That's not what we were trying to do," asserted Prichard, and explained why Putski had a similar persona. "Ivan Putski portrayed someone that came here from another country, that didn't know the language, and that was very innocent in his views, and that was the portrayal of Eugene as well."

The veteran then further drove home what he and WWE intended with Eugene. "To be a very simple and not unintelligent, but a very naive and shielded person that loved everybody and that went into life with a different perspective than anybody else." 

Earlier this year, Nick Dinsmore recalled the genesis of Eugene, and how a vote of confidence from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin allowed him to bring the character to WWE and save his career. 

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Something To Wrestle" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.