Former WCW Star Scott Norton Recalls Having Heat With Vince McMahon

In the "Land of the Giants" that WWE was so often dubbed, Scott Norton would've fit right in. The American super heavyweight had built a reputation as a hard-hitting powerhouse with enough polish to hold his own in Japan's more athletically demanding promotions. WWE did attempt to court Norton, with its former chairman Vince McMahon inviting him to a tryout in 1994. Norton accepted and wrestled his lone WWE match against Bob Holly, the aftermath of which led to some heat with McMahon, though not because of the match itself.

"New Japan, after you start with them, they want you to go someplace else for a year or two," Norton recalled on "Wrestling Shoot Interviews." "I went and visited Vince, and had the big talk with him ... they flew me and my wife to Fort Lauderdale, and I spent the weekend there, and I wrestled Bob. We had a pretty good little match."

Afterward, Vince flew Norton back to meet with him in order to hammer out a deal. Unfortunately, WWE's offer wasn't anywhere near what Norton was making in New Japan. Since McMahon was still offering incentive-based contracts at that time, Norton said it didn't make sense to jump ship.

"They wouldn't guarantee a dime," Norton said of McMahon's offer. "There's no way I could just say I'm gonna leave New Japan ... It would've just been the worst move. And the thing about it is, [Vince] was offended. ... and I kinda got heat with Vince over it."

Norton eventually found a deal more suitable with WCW. He started in a tag team called Fire and Ice, though Norton sometimes clashed with teammate Ice Train. Norton eventually became the muscle for the NWO, leaving his former stablemate Kevin Nash to question why Norton never achieved greater success in the States.