A number of WWE talent cuts hit Monday Night Raw and SmackDown last year, and one superstar caught up in those cuts was Rick Boogs, whose real name is Eric Bugenhagen. Bugenhagen’s biggest run with WWE took place when he teamed up with Shinsuke Nakamura and would appear in a program with LA Knight for a bit before his release. Bugenhagen spoke to Chris Van Vliet about his run in WWE and what the future holds, and while Bugenhagen is busier than ever, it’s not with wrestling. When the possibility of returning to wrestling came up, Bugenhagen isn’t in a rush, and right now isn’t looking to return at all.
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When asked if he would wrestle in 2024, Bugenhagen said “Not for now, nah. I mean we’ll see what happens, but, it’s never rule it out, never say never, but I’ve got a lot. I’m busier now than I was in WWE.” As for why, Bugenhagen recalls when he decided he wanted to be a wrestler, and he went all-in on the vision.
“Nah, it’s not so much that bro. When I first decided I was going to do wrestling, pursue it. I have to be all in on something. So like I was doing strength and conditioning stuff, personal training. I was like if I’m going to commit to this other endeavor, I just gotta…I quit my job. A wife and a daughter, I just got unemployed, for the sake of, you know, getting hungry, that I really wanted to make it happen, you know what I mean? Which my wife was not happy about. She was like ‘Why did you have to quit’.
At that point in time Bugenhagen wasn’t with WWE yet, but he was trying to get a tryout with the company. It was about 9 months later when he finally did get the tryout, and he would eventually sign with WWE. Later he would be teamed with Nakamura, playing along to Nakamura’s theme on his way to the ring and becoming a fan favorite in the process.
Bugenhagen would be out for a while due to an injury, but he doesn’t feel that’s what derailed his run with the company. In the same interview, Bugenhagen revealed that Vince McMahon’s departure from WWE and Creative had a significant impact on his career.
“Well, I mean, if you look at it objectively, look at my NXT run and then look at when I was seen by Vince and look at that run. Then, when management and the whole regime changed again, look at that run. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, he was injured.’ I was supposed to be brought back early when I wasn’t cleared, a month or two after rehab. I was really pumped. ‘Yeah, let’s get back out there,’ and it was kiboshed,” Bugenhagen said.
Bugenhagen was also asked about someone having a grudge against him. “Grudge isn’t the right word. In development, I was told, ‘You have an awesome personality, and people like you, and the crowd is with you. Just keep getting better in the ring.’ Basically, with that regime, that’s all I ever heard. Dude, this is scripted television. We can make this whatever. It’s frustrating, but at the same time, I get where both sides are coming from,” Bugenhagen said.
