Ahmed Johnson reflects on the differences between WWE and WCW.
While he never headlined a WrestleMania or became WWE Champion, Ahmed Johnson was one of the top superstars in WWE during the transitional phase from the New Generation Era to the Attitude Era.
Arriving in WWE in late 1995, Ahmed Johnson, for the majority of his run, was paired with legends such as Shawn Michaels and the Legion of Doom. Ahmed Johnson also has the distinction of being the first African American singles champion in WWE history. He earned that right when he defeated Goldust at the 1996 WWE King of the Ring pay-per-view to capture the WWE Intercontinental Championship. The rest of his time in WWE was spent feuding with and eventually joining the Nation of Domination.
After he left the WWE, he briefly joined WCW where he appeared as “Big T,” Stevie Ray’s replacement for Booker T in Harlem Heat 2000. Reflecting on his time in WCW in the differences between the two promotions, Ahmed would say, during an appearance on the Cheap Heat Productions podcast, that to him, the people in WCW weren't as easily flustered as the ones in WWE, then the World Wrestling Federation, saying there was “no crybaby stuff going on.”
“It seemed like the guys in WCW, they didn’t complain as much as -- in the WWF if you tapped somebody wrong, they would go and tell [higher-ups]. Mostly, they were just jealous and trying to get you out of your position. But, in WCW there was none of that. No crybaby stuff going on. The guys seemed to be either much tougher or they didn't give a shit. One of the two.”
Johnson would also speak positively of Stevie Ray and Booker T during his time in WCW.
“They were good to work with, man. Yeah, real good. Real good to work with,” said Johnson.
Ultimately, Ahmed Johnson was only known for his brief moment in the sun in WWE where he is today fondly remembered by fans of that era.
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