Jim Ross has opened up about how close Dennis Rodman came to appearing at WrestleMania 13 before WCW swooped in and secured the deal instead.

Speaking on Grilling JR, Ross revealed WWE had lined up Rodman for a one time appearance alongside Goldust, believing his unpredictable public image would make for a perfect fit.

“We thought for a one off, one time only appearance by Dennis, it would be a hit, because he was kind of polarizing,” Ross said. “We were disappointed, no doubt, because it seemed like it was going to be a layup.”

At the time, Rodman’s larger than life persona, including famously showing up to events in a wedding dress, made him an ideal crossover attraction. WWE viewed him in a similar role to Roddy Piper’s outsider involvement at WrestleMania 12.

“He was what we needed for that attraction, for that Piper role of an outsider coming in and doing his thing,” Ross explained.

However, everything changed when Rodman personally reached out to Hulk Hogan. That connection opened the door for WCW, with Eric Bischoff quickly stepping in to finalize the deal.

“It was frustrating for everybody,” Ross admitted, while also giving credit to Bischoff for making it happen, noting he was “smart enough and aggressive enough and bold enough to make it happen.”

WCW would go on to feature Rodman at Uncensored before using him in a high profile summer match that drew major attention and business.

The timing made the loss sting even more for WWE, as Rodman’s WCW deal generated major headlines in Chicago just weeks before WrestleMania 13 at the Rosemont Horizon.

Still, Ross made it clear the situation was not catastrophic for WWE in the long run.

“Was it a deal breaker? No. It was, to me, it was always going to be a one time deal,” he said. “WCW got more than one out of Dennis.”

Rodman is now set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2026.