• D’Lo Brown Reveals How He Survived The Famous Nation Of Domination “Firing”
One of the most memorable moments in the Nation of Domination’s run was the now-iconic firing angle, where Farooq (Ron Simmons) removed every member from the group – except D’Lo Brown.
On the Muscle Memory podcast, D’Lo explained what really happened.
“I only got to stay because Ron realized that I was going to contribute to the group.”
For D’Lo, who was still relatively new, the moment was career-changing.
And his emotional reaction on TV was not an act.
“The emotions you saw in me were real. It was affirmation of the work I had been doing at house shows and backstage.”
But The Nation wasn’t great because of storylines – it was great because of genuine brotherhood. D’Lo said the group’s backstage chemistry was incredibly rare:
“None of us were jealous of the other. Each one was there to help the other get over and connect. When the cameras were off and it’s 3 AM and we’re driving 300 miles, The Nation was still in full effect.”
Ron Simmons often reminded him: “Wrestling isn’t always like this.”
• “Did someone backstage really feel that way about me?” – Former WWE Women’s Champion On Her Infamous Storyline
Mickie James has opened up about the emotional toll of WWE’s “Piggy James” storyline, calling it one of the most difficult angles of her career.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet on the Insight podcast, James revealed that the bullying storyline – which aired in 2009 and featured LayCool mocking her weight – left her questioning whether WWE was actually making fun of her behind the scenes.
“I wasn’t sure how much of it was real,” she said. “Was it just a storyline, or did someone backstage really feel that way about me? I was in a very insecure place at that time.”
Despite the discomfort, she chose to give the role everything she had. “I decided to turn that pain into power. I wanted it to mean something because everyone’s been bullied in some way.”
James said that fans still tell her the story helped them through their own struggles, making it one of the most impactful, though painful, chapters of her WWE career.
• WWE Legend Won The World Title Too Soon Because Of Hulk Hogan
Eric Bischoff has admitted that The Giant (WWE Legend The Big Show aka Paul Wight) was pushed too quickly in WCW – and that Hulk Hogan was the driving force behind his early world title win.
Speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff said that giving Wight the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in his very first match at age 23 was “too much, too soon.”
“If it were up to me alone, I’d have built anticipation slower,” he said. “But Hulk saw Paul as the next Andre (the Giant). He wanted to pass that torch immediately.”
Bischoff noted that Hogan’s influence on creative decisions was enormous at the time, and his endorsement fast-tracked The Giant’s rise.
“Hulk really believed in Paul,” Bischoff said. “He thought he was seeing the second coming of Andre – and in some ways, he wasn’t wrong. But we probably should’ve waited.”
