Sid: Master & Ruler of the World

There are certain wrestlers that become Internet darlings. Usually, it’s due to that thing called “workrate” that leads to wrestlers having many matches awarded many stars. Other times, it’s due to a presence that is undeniable. Somebody that captures the attention of everyone when they appear on the screen. Sometimes, even the “smartest” wrestling fans can’t deny when a wrestler that could never have a five star match in their life is insanely popular.

Sid Eudy walked into pro wrestling after he met the legendary Poffo brothers, Randy & Lanny. They sent him to the Memphis territory, where he was trained by Tojo Yamamoto and walked over most people because he was 6’9 & 318 pounds. As some people have said before, you can’t teach that. Sid’s immense size guaranteed he’d get a look from the larger wrestling promotions, and World Championship Wrestling signed him right away.

Sid Vicious’s first major run on national TV was part of the Sky Scrapers with Dan Spivey. Large tag teams were the order of the day, and Vicious & Spivey definitely fit that bill. Unfortunately, Sid got injured during a match with the Steiners…but that kinda worked out for him because he returned as a member of the Four Horsemen. WCW saw something in him, and he got a match with World Champion Sting at Halloween Havoc 1990. That ended up involving Barry Windham dressing up as Sting and was kinda ridiculous because WCW.

One of the most believable big men EVER.
I loved working with Sid and will miss him. pic.twitter.com/mNQYH61vd1

— Sting (@Sting) August 26, 2024

Sid ended up on the same side with the Horsemen long enough to spike Brian Pillman on his head at WrestleWar 1991’s War Games. Sid & Pillman had issues to the point where Sid brought out a squeegee in an altercation. One of the most legendary backstage altercations, and it wouldn’t be the last one of Sid’s career. Sid would end up getting signed by the WWF, and he seemed like the guy that would carry on after Hulk Hogan left.

We fast forward to the 1992 Royal Rumble match, my favorite wrestling match of all time. My one hang up with the match…Sid didn’t get to look as good as he should have. He ran down and should have took a lot of people out of the match, but that didn’t happen. Sid did eliminate Hulk Hogan from the match, and the Albany fans loved it, but Hulk made sure Sid wouldn’t win the match either. The Pukester pulled his usual BS & Sid was on the receiving end. This led to a lame WrestleMania VIII main event that killed Indiana for WWE major events until they fell in love with Pat McAfee for whatever reason that escapes my logic. I mean, I’m glad Pat is bringing some major WWE events close enough for me to attend and meet up with my friends in future years, but I have no use for that dudebro otherwise.

Sid peaced out of the WWF and went back to WCW in 1993. The plan was for Sid vs. Vader to headline Starrcade 1993, but things went awry during a European tour. Sid & Arn Anderson got into an argument, there were scissors involved and we ended up with Ric Flair vs. Vader headlining Starrcade 1993.

Sid’s next mainstream appearance was as Shawn Michaels’ bodyguard leading into WrestleMania XI. Shawn gave Sid a night off afterwards, which led to Sid power bombing Shawn into oblivion. Shawn knew what was coming.

Saddened to learn of the passing of Sid Eudy.

An unforgettable presence, and it can't be overstated how big of a role he played in creating "The Heartbreak Kid".

His work, legacy, and influence will inspire our business for generations to come.

— Shawn Michaels (@ShawnMichaels) August 26, 2024

As a youngster, I was happy to see Sid power bomb Shawn into oblivion, and Diesel break kayfabe by being offended. Sid would come back eventually, and Madison Square Garden was ready for it.

Sid would beat Shawn for the WWF Championship on that night, and after a few bumps in the road he would be ready to pass the title to Undertaker at WrestleMania 13. Those few bumps in the road were pretty interesting. Bret Hart, Steve Austin & Sid were all in the mix for the championship, things went haywire for awhile but eventually Sid claimed the title long enough to pass it on to the Dead Man in the WM 13 main event.

Sid passed through ECW for a bit and got a tremendous reaction from the fans. Which was pretty surprising for young fans like me that thought ECW fans would not accept a wrestler like Sid that was a product of corporate wrestling. ECW fans were all about Sid passing through and giving their fed a rub. They wouldn’t admit it if you asked them.

Sid then went back to WCW and had “smart” people like Big Johnny Laurinaitis telling him he should try to do arial moves. Not a smart idea, but Sid went along with it and ended up having a horrible injury due to physics. If you’ve seen the injury you know why I’m still mad about it 20+ years later. At least Kevin Ware’s injury wasn’t for a work. A ridiculous idea that could have been easily avoided by not listening to a dumb SOB like Johnny Ace.

2000s WCW was Sid’s last moment in the spotlight. It wasn’t his last moment in wrestling. I loved listening to Kevin Owens talk about the time Sid worked with IWS in Canada. Sid had some crazy ideas and nobody was going to check him because he was Sid. Sid was a unique character that had some unique ideas. He also had a chokeslam and a power bomb. Sometimes, that’s all one needs.

Sid would tell you that he was the master & the ruler of the world. If you looked at him, you wouldn’t question it. Maybe things never quite worked out for him to be the top guy in a company. He still main evented WrestleMania & Starrcade, and held world championships anywhere he wrestled. Maybe he didn’t live up to his potential, but nobody on this planet would have had the balls to tell him that to his face.

Sid wasn’t a wrestling super genius. He wasn’t a man that left an impact on the business other than his physical force of nature. Sometimes, that’s all that one needs.

Sid: Master & Ruler of the World

Sid: Master & Ruler of the World

Sid: Master & Ruler of the World

Sid: Master & Ruler of the World

Sid: Master & Ruler of the World