O.J. Simpson was almost a WWE Storyline

Following the news this week that OJ Simpson has joined twitter and has some revenge to seek for the people that have wronged him in the past, I thought it might be interesting to look back at the time that the WWE pursued him for a storyline following his acquittal in the 1995 murder trial of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.

Since that famous acquittal of the one they call Orenthal James Simpson for the double-murder, OJ has found himself in hot water for other crimes. But looking back to 1995 his was one of the most famous names in the world and the verdict of “Not Guilty” split the entire United States and the world down the middle. For the hype alone, you can understand the interest by the WWE to bring in the man and ride the lightning of his infamy.

The folks over at 411mania.com took the time to transcribe the Truth With Consequences podcast with Vince Russo where the reality of the whole situation was discussed/debunked.
There are two angles to this story and both are equally wild claims.
The OJ Simpson vs Fred Goldman match
This was a rumor put forth by Bruce Prichard last June on an Episode of Something to Wrestle With that said that the father of Ron Goldman would have been in a match where OJ was handcuffed and that Goldman had his choice of weapons (reportedly including a gun) where he could exact some revenge on OJ.
Russo was quick to debunk that:

“That is so untrue … that’s the first time I’m ever hearing that. I have never even heard that before, because I didn’t listen to the show.”
He also spoke to the very idea of giving OJ a paycheck:
If OJ Simpson got a payday from the WWE, like that would not look good for the company. I said, ‘Bro, the only way you could ever book that match is if Ron Goldman, Ronald Goldman himself freaking beat the s**t out of OJ Simpson. That’s the only way you could ever get away with booking that match.
Commish’s take: This is so wild that it sounds too crazy to not be somewhat true. The idea of having a grieving man with no real athletic background (especially compared to OJ) with a weapon and the man he believed killed his son handcuffed? That’s just so maniacal.
The OJ Simpson vs Roddy Piper match
Speaking of this match, Vince Russo said:

“It was just me and Bruce. Bruce told me he had just gotten off the phone with Vince, and they were seriously considering an OJ Simpson angle, and Roddy Piper was a part of that angle. Bro, keep in mind, the OJ thing had just happened. He was just found not guilty. I mean, this thing was on fire.”
The premise of this match was alleged that Piper would essentially just beat the living daylights out of OJ and give the folks that thought OJ got off easy, a little bit of the Code of Hammurabi and it’s “Eye for an eye” idea.
Commish’s take: This one makes a little more sense for both sides. The WWE gets its pay off of having the most infamous person of the time in their ring. Roddy Piper does the world a “favor” by beating up OJ. OJ gets his paycheck and walks away richer.
The Wrap
In the world of wrestling we have seen some crazy storylines, now President of the United States, Donald Trump is in the WWE Hall of Fame. Most people remember the old bra and panties matches. It’s all a wacky world, but this seems to be right up there with the craziest of them all.