The Sandman was one of the most popular performers for ECW way back in the nineties. His feud with Tommy Dreamer helped put the promotion on the map. The gimmick served as the inspiration for a certain foul-mouthed, beer-drinking Rattlesnake in WWE as well.
As one of the ECW originals, The Sandman’s name occasionally pops up on social media. He trended big time when the news of Paul Heyman’s WWE Hall of Fame induction took the internet by storm. Now, it seems, Michael Jordan has something to do with the countless Sandman mentions on X (formerly Twitter).
There’s a picture of The Sandman high-fiving the basketball legend making rounds on the internet. For those unaware, the iconic interaction was caught on camera following The Chicago Bulls’ defeat of The Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. It was originally released to the world as part of ESPN’s The Last Dance docuseries in 2020.
The Sandman had no idea he snagged a high-five from Michael Jordan
The final episode of the series features the Bulls’ celebration of their epic win over the Jazz. Cameras show Jordan and his teammates as they are greeted by scores of fans at the team hotel in Salt Lake City upon arrival. Even though The Sandman’s appearance is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, it certainly has found its place among some of the biggest crossovers between pro wrestling and basketball.
But does the man who made a living out of assaulting people with a kendo stick have any recollection of the iconic exchange?
As it turns out, he didn’t until eagle-eyed fans spotted him in the final episode.
“I f*cking forgot about it,” the former ECW World Champion told ProWrestlingSheet during a 2020 interview. As he explained to the outlet, “Your headline should be: The Sandman doesn’t even remember high-fiving Jordan.”
He continued, “I don’t remember that part at all, Jordan coming out of the f*cking bus and high-fiving him. I swear to God, I don’t remember it. I haven’t told anybody that story! I can’t find a person I’ve told that story to, that I high-fived Jordan, because I f*cking forgot. I’m with my girl, I’m laying in bed. It’s a quarter to eleven. I was not expecting to see myself. When I saw myself, I screamed and yelled so loud. She’s still mad at me for it. She was scared, got up and ran out of the f*cking condo. I was freaking out so bad.” (H/T Pro Wrestling Sheet / TheSportster)
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