During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, former WWE Superstar Gene Snitsky opened up about the moment that unexpectedly defined his pro wrestling career: punting a baby doll into the crowd during a controversial storyline with Kane and Lita.
Snitsky said the idea came straight from Vince McMahon himself during a backstage walkthrough.
“We’re walking through it, Vince was like, ‘Then you’re going to kick the baby into the crowd.’ I’m like, ‘Cool.’ In my head, I’m thinking I’m gonna whack the sh*t out of this thing,” Gene said. “And then Vince is like, ‘Whatever you do, don’t miss the baby. Make sure you kick it.’ I’m like, ‘Listen, Mr. McMahon, I was already a punter in high school. This is gonna be f**king amazing.’ And he just looked at me and just left it at that.”
Snitsky didn’t miss. The spot went exactly as planned, and McMahon was thrilled with the result.
“Back through the curtain, he gives me a big hug, he’s like, ‘That was great.’ I’m like, ‘I told you,’” he said.
Snitsky then went into detail about his experience as a punter on his high school football team.
“Well, here’s the thing, going back to like I was saying about football and all that, I was actually an all-area punter my junior year of high school. I averaged like 37 yards as a junior in high school, so I had always had the leg to do it,” he shared. “And ironically, all these years later, that’s one of the things I’m known for. It’s kind of funny.”
Despite the attention it brought him, Gene admitted he never expected his wrestling legacy to be built on that one wild moment.
“I don’t really know how to respond to that. When I got into wrestling, I never in a million years would have thought that whole storyline, just being thrown into it, because I had never done a dark match. Nobody knew who I was. I was just there, and then all of a sudden I’m the biggest heel on the show. It’s crazy, literally that quick,” he said.
Snitsky’s WWE debut happened on the September 13, 2004, episode of RAW in a match against Kane. The storyline had Lita, kayfabe-pregnant with Kane’s child, at ringside. Snitsky used a distraction to attack Kane from behind, causing him to fall on Lita, which led to a miscarriage in the storyline.
Originally planned as a one-off appearance, the moment was so impactful that Snitsky was kept on the main roster and became a full-time heel.
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