In the debut episode of ECW legend The Sandman’s podcast on AdFreeShows.com, he shared some pre-ECW stories, including a surprising stint as a Chippendale dancer after getting out of jail. Sandman explained that after his release from jail in 1984, where he spent six months in solitary confinement, he ended up at a club called Pulsations in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
According to The Sandman, Pulsations was known for its dancers, and it was one of the few places in America where you could find them. On a Wednesday night, with a $10 all-you-can-drink special, he found himself on the dance floor in a packed club. A blonde woman approached him, grabbed his hand, and led him away. Thinking he was about to have an intimate encounter, he followed her through the kitchen and into her office.
However, to his surprise, instead of a romantic encounter, the woman instructed him to take his shirt off. She started writing down details on business cards and handed him a list of trainers. To his disbelief, she revealed that she wanted him to become a member of the Chippendales. The woman then took him to meet Nick De Noia, the founder of the Chippendales, and The Sandman found himself becoming a Chippendale dancer.
The unexpected turn of events showcased the unpredictable and colorful experiences that The Sandman encountered in his life before his wrestling career in ECW.
“Dude, this is a straight honest to God shoot, “Sandman said. “I get out of jail in 1984. I was in jail from January 23 to July 7, and I was in the hole the whole time because my first day in there, I punched the guard in the face and then they threw me in the hole. I was only supposed to be in there for like 60 days, but I ended up in there for six months in the hole.”
“I get out of prison and there’s this big club that just opened up or outside of the suburbs of Philadelphia. It was called Pulsations. They had the dancers there. The only places you could get them in America was in Philadelphia at Pulsations or Studio 54. So I’m dancing in that club on a Wednesday night. It was like 10 bucks all you can drink. There’s like 2,500 people in this place. I’m on the dance floor. This good looking blonde comes up to me. She grabbed me by the hand and she starts walking me away. I’m like, All right, well, I’m in. We ended up going through the kitchen and stuff like that. I’m like, obviously this girl works here. I guess I’m gonna go do her in her office. I swear to God this is exactly what’s going through my head. So we get up into her office. She goes behind the table and sits there in the seat and says, ‘Take your shirt off.’ I’m like okay. I guess she wants to be in control. I take the shirt off and then she starts writing down on business cards. I don’t even know if anyone even knows what a business card is nowadays, but she’s given me like a trainer to go to and this and this and goes, ‘I want you to be a member of the Chippendales.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ I didn’t even know the Chippendales were at the club. I was just there to drink for free just getting out of prison. She’s like, ‘I want you to do this and this. This is your trainer. This is his number. The owner is here tonight and I want you to meet him.’ So she takes me down the hall, walks me into Nick De Noia’s office, the guy that started the Chippendales. He looks right at me and he goes, ‘He’s starting tomorrow night, isn’t he’ and she goes, ‘Yes, he is, sir.’ Next thing you know, I’m a Chippendale.”
