One of the most talked about characters in the AMC's zombie series "The Walking Dead" is Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), even though he and Glenn (Steven Yeun) were mercilessly killed by Lucille, Negan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) bat, in the season 7 premiere of the show. But, little did fans know that Cudlitz's role could have been played by a wrestler.
Abraham has been a house name for fans of "The Walking Dead." They were also quick to conclude that he would be in the crossover with "Fear the Walking Dead," after putting together interview hints and details from the canon. But, as popular as the character seemed, trivia about the role was revealed by Matt Morgan, a former WWE wrestler. He revealed in a podcast that he auditioned for the role of Abraham, a sergeant, but was not lucky enough to land the role.
Morgan went on to narrate how he hoped to get the job and that he was disappointed that he did not. The wrestler obviously did not take the decision of the management lightly and divulged that he did not watch the show because of that.
The star also narrated how he had prepared for the role, saying, "I was at my brother's house in Boston, supposed to be there for the holidays and I didn't pay attention to anybody because I was supposed to be memorizing my scripts." He also claimed that the show's executives had taken the opportunity from him at the last second.
The character had drawn a lot of fans since its introduction in the show. Some fans even attribute the continuous decline in the ratings of "The Walking Dead" to the death of Abraham and Glenn. Season 8 had not been effective in attracting viewers, as it fell short compared to the last season's opener. The numbers further declined on the second episode.
"The Walking Dead" season 8 airs Sundays, at 9 p.m. EDT on AMC.
