In a recent episode of “Something To Wrestle” podcast, host Bruce Prichard shed light on the genesis of the Eugene character, played by Nick Dinsmore, in WWE.
According to the storyline, Eugene was portrayed as an overly zealous nephew of the former RAW General Manager, Eric Bischoff.
Some key points from the podcast include:
On his impressions of Eugene: Prichard compared the character to Ivan Putski, stating, “I like the Eugene character. He was a fun, simple character that the audience adored…There was an innocence about him and he was a lovable character… If that character is perceived by the audience as needing their support, then it is a good babyface character.”
On the character not being interpreted as a special needs character: Prichard clarifies, “Neither was Eugene. He’s a simple character. If you interpret it that way, it’s your decision. We were not trying to portray that … And that was a portrayal of Eugene as well.”
On the inspirations behind the character: Prichard drew parallels to characters like Igor and Ivan Putski, saying they were all simple yet not foolish, extremely naïve, and saw everything positively.
On the character’s name being inspired from a fan: Prichard revealed that the character name ‘Eugene’ came from the son of a man known as Bucky in Pittsburgh, whose father was part of the trucking services, frequently involved in carrying the ring. In recognition of Eugene’s engaging personality, the name was chosen as a tribute to him.
Below is an embedded link to the “Something To Wrestle: Vengeance 2004” episode.