Leon Ruff Reveals Vince McMahon Gave Him A $500 Bonus For His Match With Sheamus

The pandemic was an interesting time for WWE for many reasons, with Vince McMahon trialling plenty of new things that saw Swamp Fights, eye removals, possessed dolls, and more. One of the tamer things he did was going back to the trusty old utilisation of squash matches to help established or newer talent look good on TV by dominating an opponent. Plenty of wrestlers were drafted in from both NXT and the independent scene during this time to lose decisively to names such as Braun Strowman, Sheamus, and more. 

Leon Ruff was someone who WWE would bring in for these spots, despite not being signed to the promotion at the time. He lost in squash matches to the Forgotten Sons in NXT, twice to Aleister Black on the main roster, and once to Sheamus on the May 5, 2020 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, losing in a little over 90 seconds. 

In response to a fan sharing a memory of this latter match on X, Leon Ruff shared a story of Vince McMahon rewarding him because he enjoyed the match.

“Man, I remember getting an extra $500 because McMahon loved the match so much. I think I earned @WWESheamus’ respect that night — I mean, it took 3 Irish Curse backbreakers, 10 brutal chest forearms, and a Brogue Kick to put me down.”

A few months down the line, Ruff would be signed to WWE, shockingly winning the NXT North American Championship in WWE’s developmental system. Vince McMahon has remained in the news recently following comments by the likes of John Cena, Roman Reigns discussing his recent allegations, and more.

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