WWE champion states Eugene released for weight issue

Nick 'Eugene' Dinsmore's WWE comeback was done in by a weight issue, according to none other than WWE champion Randy Orton, an apparent real life friend of Dinsmore. In an interview with the U.K.'s The Sun newspaper, Orton noted that Dinsmore came in overweight for his comeback television match against The Calgary Kid (aka The Miz) on "WWE Raw."

WWE management immediately noted the weight issue and released Dinsmore four days later. Orton stated that he found himself disappointed at Dinsmore for showing up that way. Dinsmore's comeback lasted all of two matches, the Raw TV match and a previous house show match win over Ricky Ortiz. Of course Ortiz also ended up being released soon thereafter for unrelated reasons.

While the weight issue was the obvious short-term reason for Dinsmore's termination, my own belief still holds that the Eugene gimmick didn't have a long-term shelf life anyway in today's more politically correct WWE. Either way, it remains heartening to see that persona gone if not the man who portrayed it.

Nick 'Eugene' Dinsmore released by WWE

Nick Dinsmore, better known by his WWE persona Eugene, has been released by World Wrestling Entertainment. The announcement via WWE.com came only four days after the only televised match of his comeback attempt, a loss on "WWE Raw" in a contract on a pole match against The Miz.

Dinsmore was supposed to come back not only as a wrestler but as a trainer/mentor for younger wrestlers. There's no shortage of reasons though that the comeback could have failed so quickly. Dinsmore appeared on television out of shape in a company that repeatedly stressed the need for its stars to be in prime condition. His status as a "three strike" violator of the WWE wellness program also came to public light via Pro Wrestling Torch.

What may have (or at least should have) doomed Dinsmore though was the character he portrayed in the first place. WWE's take on a mentally challenged person was woefully out of place in today's political reality. It was especially out of place in a week when the death of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver brought the real-life challenged back into the public spotlight.

With WWE CEO Linda McMahon reportedly considering a run for the United States Senate, the presence of Eugene would have been a continuing public embarrassment. No matter how or why it happened, the Eugene character had to go. WWE took the easy way out and bumped the real life Dinsmore out with him.

Nick 'Eugene' Dinsmore returns to WWE at house show

Nick Dinsmore made his return to WWE wrestling action at a Smackdown/ECW house show in Manchester, New Hampshire, defeating Smackdown's Ricky Ortiz. Just as in his first company stint, Dinsmore worked under the Eugene persona, essentially WWE's take on a developmentally disabled person. He was rehired a month ago to help mentor younger wrestlers.

Dinsmore's return raises at least a few issues. The most notable one may be from Pro Wrestling Torch which reports that Dinsmore had secretly accrued a third wellness program strike during his previous stint, the factor that triggered his WWE termination. Assuming that's true, Dinsmore would be the first three striker to come back to WWE.

To be sure, there was nothing in the WWE wellness rules that stated a three-strike WWE performer couldn't be rehired. It does make one wonder though if Dinsmore's wellness violation count will reset to a lower number or if WWE will instead just overlook his drug issues altogether.

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On a more personal note, the Eugene persona is one of the most annoying ones that I've ever encountered as a pro wrestling fan. Being someone familiar with such concerns, 'Eugene' comes off to me as an insult and a needless justification for others to dismiss the real life developmentally disabled. For a company seeking mainstream approval, the return of Eugene is a backward step.______________________