ECW legend The Sandman recently shared his candid thoughts about his time in WWE during an appearance on Rob Van Dam's 1 of a Kind podcast. The hardcore wrestling icon, famous for his beer-drinking antics and kendo stick-wielding persona, revealed that his WWE experience was far from enjoyable, describing it as “soul-sucking.”

According to Sandman, while ECW provided the most fun and TNA was the easiest job for the money, WWE was the most lucrative but also the most frustrating. He explained that the corporate structure and backstage atmosphere made him miserable, stating that he dreaded both the travel and the locker room environment. “I love the business… until I had to go deal with WWE,” Sandman confessed. “A week there, I’m like, I’m ready to kill myself, dude. If I didn’t have a couple of my boys with me…”

One of the biggest frustrations he faced was WWE’s restriction on his signature beer-drinking entrance. Before SummerSlam, Sandman was informed he could no longer drink beer on TV, a move he later understood was to protect Steve Austin’s iconic beer-drinking gimmick. This decision left Sandman feeling like he had lost a key part of his identity. “Johnny [Laurinaitis] calls me into his office and goes, ‘You can’t drink the beer anymore.’ And I’m like, ‘What?!’” he recalled. “I was hot, and I hated it there. I had no friends… It was soul-sucking.”

The overwhelming backstage atmosphere also took a toll on Sandman. With over 100 wrestlers backstage, only a handful would be used on shows, making the environment feel chaotic and frustrating. Sandman even preferred to dress in stairwells with fellow ECW star Sabu to avoid the packed locker rooms. “There’s a hundred guys there for Raw, and they’re using like 30 of them,” he explained. “I can’t be in that locker room stepping all over people… and everybody’s lying to you.”

Ultimately, Sandman’s unhappiness in WWE led him to intentionally shorten his matches just to leave the arena sooner. His time with the company ended after conflicts with management, underscoring that WWE was never the right fit for him. “They had to tell me to stop going home early,” Sandman admitted. “I was going in there, giving them five minutes, and getting out.”

The Sandman’s WWE tenure lasted around 15 months, from June 2006 to September 2007. While his time with WWE was brief compared to his legendary ECW career, it allowed WWE fans to experience a glimpse of the hardcore icon who helped define ECW’s popularity in the 1990s. Following his departure from WWE, Sandman returned to the independent wrestling circuit, continuing to make appearances well into the 2020s, with matches documented as recently as this month.

For more on The Sandman’s experience in WWE, tune in to the latest episode of Rob Van Dam’s 1 of a Kind podcast.