In the 90s, Dennis Rodman was the coolest man of the planet!
He was pierced and tattooed before it was cool and fashionable.
The guy was chosen by THE Madonna to be the genitor of her child.
He was kidnapped and conned into marriage by Carmen Electra.
Not only fucked both Madonna and Carmen Electra but claimed he had bedded thousands more.
He was a millionaire who didn’t give a fuck.
He was, and still is, a drunk and a gambler.
Ode to Dennis Rodman!
Dennis Rodman is a now retired professional basketball player who played for the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.
He was known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities. Playing small forward in his early years before becoming a power forward, Rodman earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times and was voted NBA Defensive Player of the Year twice. He also led the NBA in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and won five NBA championships (1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998).
Experiencing an unhappy childhood, Rodman was shy and introverted in his early years. After aborting a suicide attempt in 1993, he reinvented himself as the prototypical “bad boy” and became notorious for numerous controversial antics. He dyed his hair in artificial colors, presented himself with many piercings and tattoos and regularly disrupted games by clashing with opposing players and officials. He famously wore a wedding dress to promote his autobiography.
DENNIS RODMAN
Nicknames: Rodzilla, Dirty Hot Rod, The Real Hot Rod, The Worm, The Bad Guy, Dennis The Menace
Date Of Birth: May 13, 1961
Birthplace: Trenton, New Jersey, USA
Billed From: Chicago, Illinois
Los Angeles
Height: 6’7″ (201 cm)
Weight: 220 lbs (100 kg)
Pro Wrestling Debut: March 10, 1997
Pro Wrestling Last Match: July 20, 2000
Wrestling Record: 1-2, 1 DDQ
Wrestling Moves: Arm Drag, Leapfrog
Entrance themes: + NWO Official Theme aka “Rockhouse” by Frank Shelley (1997–1998; Used while a part of the New World Order) + “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1997–1998)
World Championship Wrestling (1997–1999)
After getting suspended for the rest of the 1996–1997 NBA season for kicking a cameraman. Rodman seriously took up professional wrestling and appeared on the March 10 edition of Monday Nitro with his friend Hollywood Hulk Hogan in World Championship Wrestling accepting an nWo t-shirt from him.
Debut and New World Order (1997–1998)
At the March 1997 Uncensored event, he appeared as a member of the nWo.
In June, 1997, Rodman appeared once again at Hogan’s side, attacking Lex Luger and the Giant.
July 13, 1997 Dennis Rodman makes his debut in the ring with Hulk Hogan in a loss against Lex Luger and the Giant at WCW Bash at the Beach. Rodman gets spanked on the buttocks by the Giant and then racked by Luger. Who knows, he may have enjoyed it. The match ends when Hogan submits to Luger’s torture rack. For a non wrestler, Rodman turns in an entertaining and above average performance.
The Match starts at 45:25.
Dennis Rodman was paid in the area of $1 million for a single Pay-Per-View and two television appearances. But the company make a lot more, many more money in “free” publicity. (source- Controversy creates Cash by Eric Bischoff)
At the August 1997 Road Wild event, Rodman appeared as the Impostor Sting hitting Luger with a baseball bat to make Hogan win back the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
In June 8, 1998, Dennis Rodman skipped a Chicago Bulls basketball practice to appear on Nitro aiding Hogan as they viciously attacked Diamond Dallas Page. Soon after, DDP challenged Rodman and Hogan to face him and Karl Malone at Bash At The Beach ’98.
In his second appearance teaming with Hulk Hogan defeating Diamond Dallas Page & Karl Malone in July 1998 with the outside interference of The Disciple (Brutus Beefcake). In a poorly-received match, the two power forwards exchanged “rudimentary headlocks, slams and clotheslines” for 23 minutes.
Rodman and Malone proved to be successful drawsas the show did the best WCW buy rate since Starrcade-an estimated 1.5 for almost $7 million gross. But contrary to Karl Malone who was really professional and offered a good performance for a non wrestler. Rodman showed up probably “under the influence” after disappearing for several hours the day of the show.
Despite his no-showing to a couple of Nitro and wrestling practises, Rodman still later sued WCW for $550,000, claiming they defrauded him in contract negociations. (source: The Death of WCW)
Anyway, Rodman WCW appearances were a box-office success and the company received a lot of mainstream publicity for it. As for Rodman unprofessionalism and mediocre wrestling performances. Who cares? We just wanted to see Dennis Rodman. And Dennis Rodman being Dennis Rodman that’s what we got.
Feud with Randy Savage (1999)
In 1999, Rodman reappeared once again in WCW, this time feuding with “Macho Man” Randy Savage. He even kidnapped Savage’s girlfriend, Gorgeous George, for a short period of time. This led Savage to keep George underwraps, while he and Rodman exchanged some “entertaining” language in their speeches. They had a match at the August 1999 Road Wild event, during which Savage shoved him in a portable toilet and eventually won the match after hitting Rodman with a chain.
Dennis Rodman Power Slam WCW Wrestlers figure 2000
As Eric Bischoff said in his book: “He was a pain in the ass to work with. Dennis is his own guy and pretty much operates in his own little little world. Most of the time, that’s inconsistent with the world around him. He doesn’t like to conform to rules and regulations and structure and schedule-all the things that make the world go around…. He drank Hogan under the table. Rodman should get another ring just for that.” (source: Eric Bischoff Controversy creates Cash)
i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling and retirement (2000)
On July 30, 2000, for the i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling pay-per-view event, he fought against i-Generation Champion Curt Hennig in an Australian Outback match. The event was subtitled Rodman Down Under. Hennig won the match by disqualification. Rodman refrained from wrestling at the top level and retired.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004)
On the July 2, 2004, edition of 004, edition of Impact!, Rodman made an appearance in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he sat at ringside during a match between the 3 Live Kru and Team Canada.
July 2, 2004 – TNA Impact: Team Canada (Petey Williams & Bobby Rude & Eric Young) defeated 3-Live Krew w/Dennis Rodman..
~~~Dennis Rodman sat at ringside and did absolutely nothing making his appearance virtually useless..
~~~Dennis Rodman reportedly showed up to the taping refusing to do any of the stuff pitched to him..
Dennis Rodman also won the first ever Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament.
Pay-Per-View/Show Summary: (1 – 2, 1 DDQ) – WCW Bash At The Beach ’97 = Rodman and Hollywood Hogan lost to Lex Luger and the Giant. – WCW Bash At The Beach ’98 = Rodman and Hollywood Hogan defeated Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone. – WCW Road Wild ’99 = Rodman lost to “Macho Man” Randy Savage, partially due to Gorgeous George’s interference. – i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling (July ’00) = Rodman and the i-Generation Champion, Curt Hennig, fought to a DDQ.
“The scuttlebutt was he got $1.2 million for the three matches he signed for,” former WCW producer Kevin Sullivan said.
Rodzilla left a favorable impression on nearly every competitor who was interviewed for this piece. Particularly Diamond Dallas Page, who fondly remembered boarding The Worm’s tour bus and finding it packed to the walls with beautiful women.
“He lived the gimmick,” DDP said with a laugh. “He lived the gimmick at a different level.” source
Little known fact, before being a member of the NWO, Dennis Rodman was Hulkamania.
