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While he played a pivotal role in WCW during the Monday Night Wars, things were almost very different for Konnan, and the wrestling industry as a whole, as he originally signed with the promotion's rivals, WWE, and looked set to have a lengthy run with the company, before things took a turn.
RELATED: The Worst WWE Gimmick Every Year From 1990 To 1999That's right, while Konnan managed to forge a legendary wrestling career, working for the likes of WCW, TNA and AAA, he only briefly appeared in the industry's number one company. Things could have been very different, though, as WWE were incredibly high on the future NWO member, and were even prepared to give him one hell of a push.
Under the Max Moon gimmick, which Vince McMahon spent a whole lot onf money preparing for, Konnan was supposed to solidify himself as a key member of the WWE roster in the early 1990s, but it all quickly turned sour, and he left the company in next to no time.
Konnan Created The Max Moon WWE Gimmick Himself
While the Max Moon character isn't one wrestling fans look back on too fondly, the gimmick was actually Konnan's creation. While wrestling in Japan, he was introduced to a cartoon robot while watching anime, and it gave him inspiration for the character.
The costume he needed for the gimmick was an elaborate one, but WWE - as a sign of the faith they had in him - spent $13,000 on one for him. Down the line, Konnan would admit that the extensive costs for the outfit largely played a part in underlying tensions growing between him and the company almost immediately.
At first, Konnan debuted in the gimmick under the name "The Comet Kid", but the name wouldn't last too long, ultimately being scrapped after just a handful of appearances, and eventually being swapped out for Max Moon.
Konnan Stopped Showing Up To WWE Shows After Making It In Mexico
Following his arrival in WWE, Konnan continued to work in Mexico, including appearing in a television soap opera aimed at children. This led to his star power in the country growing exponentially, and he quickly lost interest in trying to make a name for himself in America.
As a result, he stopped showing up to his WWE bookings, and quickly gained heat with some of the other stars on the roster. His apparent attitude rubbed certain talent the wrong way, and his relationship with McMahon, who had put a lot of effort into the Max Moon character, became increasingly strained.
Eventually, due to the tension between Konnan and the rest of the roster, and his lack of interest in returning to WWE, he had a huge falling out with McMahon, and would depart the company for good after just three televised matches. He never returned to the company.
The Max Moon Character Was Given To Paul Diamond Instead
After spending a fortune on the character, McMahon wasn't prepared to let it die with Konnan's departure from WWE, and the decision was quickly made to pass it off to someone else. The man handpicked for the gimmick was Paul Diamond, a lower midcarder who'd spent the majority of his WWE in The Orient tag team, under a mask, pretending to be Asian and going by the name, Kato.
Diamond was only picked to take over the character due to the fact that the expensive outfit McMahon had purchased for the gimmick fit him, and it was clear almost immediately that it wasn't going to work out. His biggest win as Moon was a disqualification victory over Rick Martel, and aside from a six-man tag match victory standing alongside Owen Hart and Koko B. Ware, things didn't really get much better.
With that being said, Diamond did wrestle as Moon on the very first episode of Monday Night Raw, taking on the Intercontinental Champion at the time, a man by the name of Shawn Michaels. Maybe you've heard of him? Of course, Moon lost, and he very rarely won again after that. He would only ever appear on one pay-per-view, the 1993 Royal Rumble, and he barely made a mark in the match, lasting just two minutes, before he was eliminated.
RELATED: Konnan Was Shockingly One Of WCW's Most Over Wrestlers
The next month, Diamond was released from WWE, the Max Moon character was retired, and Vince McMahon had to accept that the endeavor had been a fairly large financial failure. But who knows, things might have turned out a little different if Konnan had stuck around long enough to make his mark as Moon.
