Maven Recalls Angering Vince McMahon After WWE WrestleMania Mistake

Maven Huffman had a short-lived run in WWE, but in his brief 4 years, he had the honor of being the first ever "Tough Enough" winner to transition into the WWE system, as well as three runs with the Hardcore Championship. However, Maven's most iconic moment was his 2002 Royal Rumble appearance and segment with The Undertaker, where he hit the 'Deadman' with a Dropkick to eliminate him.

However, Maven's Dropkick game wasn't always on point, like his WrestleMania X8 clash against Dustin Rhodes (Goldust), where he missed the signature move in a crucial spot. "I'm glad I missed that Dropkick, instead of the one with 'Taker," he jokingly recalled during an interview on "Rewind Recap Relive." 

Maven explained how there was a spot involving a trash can which he was supposed to dropkick into Rhodes, but because he missed, Rhodes had to adjust it at the last second to make it look even a little bit realistic. 

"I was too athletic," he exclaimed. "I was too damn athletic."

Maven then recalled going backstage, where an angry Vince McMahon waited for him. 

"I knew I missed it, but other than that, the match went okay. So, we get backstage and Vince is like, 'You missed the f**king Dropkick,' he's like: 'The one f**king move you can do? You missed it,'" he recalled. Maven expressed that he still had another segment that night with Christian Cage, where he planned to make up for the botch earlier that night. "Now, you've missed the Dropkick. If you go and eff the spot up with Christian, well, what's the reason they're gonna bring you back on Monday Night RAW, tomorrow night?"

The spot ended up working out, and Maven continued working for the company for another 3 years, departing in 2005.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Rewind Recap Relive," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.