Entertainment
Ex-WWE star Chuck Palumbo thinks his ‘distasteful’ storyline with Michelle McCool went too far for young fans
Former WWE superstar Chuck Palumbo has admitted he had some big issues with a ‘distasteful’ storyline he was part of.
The 49-year-old retired wrestler – who is now focused on his own Chuck of All Trades YouTube channel which features home renovation and building work on cars and motorcycles – has reflected on his final run with the company before his second release in 2008, and his character’s direction alongside Michelle McCool and Jamie Noble.
He exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘As the character developed, the writing got distasteful towards the end. The part with McCool, we started to get a little rough and they kinda made my character… they started to show domestic violence.
‘I found that distasteful and at that point I was like, I’m not sure if I’m liking this anymore.’
His return in 2006 – following his first exit two years prior – started well, with Palumbo getting to show a glimpse of his real life as he portrayed a biker.
‘In the beginning, it was great. I got to share another side of me, which was basically an extension of myself. We’re not speaking of personalities,’ he explained. ‘But just the motorcycles, the stuff that I do, motorcycles have always been a big part of my life. That was fun.’
However, things took a turn as the storyline – which he appeared in alongside The Undertaker’s now-wife Michelle – carried some added weight, and while he was grateful for the opportunity, he wasn’t happy with the direction at all.
Asked whether or not he spoke to management about his reservations, he admitted: ‘I tried to but it’s tough when you’re getting an opportunity and you tell them that you’re not happy with it. That can be taken different ways, right?
‘But being on a show that kids watch, I just thought it was distasteful. When you write, you have the ability to create anything, so why not create something that’s tasteful?
‘That’s just my opinion. But at the end of the day, I always appreciated the opportunity, so it is, what it is.’
The change of direction was the final push Palumbo needed as he looked to move on from WWE following what had been a tough time for him in the industry.
Unfortunately, I lost a lot of friends in the business, a lot of young guys who had passed away,’ he recalled. ‘I wasn’t having as much fun, and I’ll be honest with ya – the travelling, I think I was over the travelling at that point.
‘And then the character towards the end became distasteful with the domestic violence stuff and the wife beater type of character. I found that very distasteful, but that’s not my choice. At that point I was like, I think I’m ready.’
Palumbo already knew this would be his final run with the company and he admitted he was ‘preparing for the future’, spending six months before the return investing in his ‘shop equipment’ and fitting out his garage.
‘I knew at that point when I first agreed to sign back that it would be my last run. My gut told me, so I was preparing at that point for the future, I really was,’ he said.
‘I had been into that stuff since I was a kid, but I knew where I was going so it was a great opportunity to almost promote what I was going to be doing next. I was wearing my shop t-shirts on TV, no one said anything to me. I was like, ok, I’m gonna continue this!’
He retired from wrestling as a whole in 2012, and two years later ended up fronting Discovery show Lords of the Car Hoards – renamed Rusted Development for its second series – and he’s proud of what he’s been able to do away from the ring.
‘I didn’t realise how much I had to fall back on. I could have always been a welder making 75 bucks an hour if I had to,’ he said. ‘A lot of these other guys, that’s all they know.
‘A lot of these guys come into the business 20, 21, 22 years old, never really learned any other life skills or job skills, they go into the wrestling business – hats off to them, very hard business to navigate your way through.’
Although Palumbo was never one of the top names in WCW or WWE, he enjoyed a successful career and was still able to develop after calling it a day.
He pondered: ‘How often does a midcard wrestler – not a world champion as far as singles competition, good push but nothing crazy, not a household name, but I get an opportunity to do my own show?’
Now, he’s back with Chuck of All Trades on YouTube, and he’s having a blast.
‘It’s very laid back, no pressure – I’m just enjoying it,’ he smiled. ‘I love to work, so I’m really enjoying it. It’s easy!’
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