Bruce Prichard reveaed the origin of the term “worked himself into a shoot” on the latest episode of his Something To Wrestle podcast. On Episode 125, titled “When Hunter Met Stephanie,” delved into the on and off screen relationship between Stephanie McMahon and Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
During the 2+ hour deep-dive discussion, Bruce’s co-host Conrad Thompson asked when Stephanie and Hunter became a real-life item. While the actual timeline remains fuzzy, Bruce tells all of what he knew and when.
While answering Conrad, Bruce tells the story of when he first heard the term “worked himself into a shoot”, a phrase that has become part of the wrestling lexicon. Whether it be the legendary Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels feud, or a bizarre tweet from Hulk Hogan, wrestling fans are familiar with the term. But where did it start?
Goodnight HULKAMANIACS and jabronie marks without a life that don't know it a work when you work a work and work yourself into a shoot,marks
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) October 16, 2011
“Worked Himself Into A Shoot”
According to Prichard, the term was coined by none other than WWE CEO Vince McMahon.
“Gerry Brisco and I have this thing… We used to see two people hanging out together, and catch them on the road sometimes hanging out together, and you’d go, ‘Oh, boy, that’s going to turn into a couple right there,'” Prichard said.
“We used to have a term for it. Well, actually, it’s Vince’s term. The first time I heard Vince use it was when Hunter and Chyna had gotten together. And Vince said ‘I think he’s worked himself into a shoot’. So we used the same term here. They had to kiss and be husband and wife on screen, and we said ‘If he’s not careful, he’s going to work himself into a shoot here,'” Prichard said.
And there you have it.
For a detailed snapshot of one of the more infamous angles from the Attitude Era, you can check out the full episode below.
When referencing this transcript, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.
When did you first hear the phrase, “Worked himself into a shoot”?
