Rick Boogs Explains Why He Thinks Vince McMahon's Departure Killed His Career

Rick Boggs discusses post-WWE life.

Boogs was released by WWE in September 2023. Boogs said following his release that he was 100% certain that the removal of Vince McMahon killed his career. He had not wrestled since WWE SummerSlam 2023 when he took part in the Slim Jim Battle Royal.

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Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Boogs discussed his comments on YouTube and him saying he was certain Vince's removal killed his career.

"Well, I mean, if you look at it objectively, look at my NXT run and then look at when I was seen by Vince and look at that run. Then, when management and the whole regime changed again, look at that run. A lot of people say, 'Oh, he was injured.' I was supposed to be brought back early when I wasn't cleared, a month or two after rehab. I was really pumped. 'Yeah, let's get back out there,' and it was kiboshed," he said.

When asked about his comment regarding someone having a grudge against him, Boogs replied, "Grudge isn't the right word. In development, I was told, 'You have an awesome personality, and people like you, and the crowd is with you. Just keep getting better in the ring.' Basically, with that regime, that's all I ever heard. Dude, this is scripted television. We can make this whatever. It's frustrating, but at the same time, I get where both sides are coming from."

Boogs was teamed with Shinsuke Nakamura before suffering a torn quadriceps and patellar tendon at WrestleMania 38. He returned to television in January 2023, but was rarely used. McMahon retired as WWE CEO in June 2022, leading to Triple H becoming the creative director.

Boogs gained extra notoriety in WWE by appearing in Old Spice commercials.

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