Long before Mr. McMahon chucked gobs of his cash at the WWE Universe during the Million Dollar Mania bonanza of 2008, WWE gave away a house.
It was midway through 1995’s inaugural In Your House event that talking heads Todd Pettengill and Stephanie Wiand called a randomly selected WWE fan live on pay-per-view to let them know they’d just won a crib in Orlando. The lucky kid turned out to be 11-year-old Matthew Pomposelli. More than a decade later, WWE made a house call to Matt to find out what happened to his palatial prize.
WWE.COM: First thing — are you still living in the home?
MATTHEW POMPOSELLI: No, I don’t own the house. I sold it about six months after I won it. We had just moved from New York to Las Vegas, and it was a big decision to move into the Florida home, rent it or sell it. It was a tough choice, but selling it meant I’d have money for college.
WWE.COM: Wow, an 11-year-old flipping real estate! How much did you bank from the sale?
POMPOSELLI: I believe it sold for more than $175,000, which back then was good money for an 11-year-old.
WWE.COM: How did it feel when you actually realized you had won?
POMPOSELLI: It was surreal. I had filled out the form, and about three days before the event, my dad put it in the mail. We ordered the pay-per-view that night and they dug out one envelope out of about 340,000 and made the phone call to the winner. They dial and my phone does not ring. Turns out they had the wrong numbers. They redial and a minute later, my phone rings! My dad gets on and I can hear his New York accent booming through the TV. I’m screaming in the background, like bloodcurdling screams!
WWE.COM: So in school, you kinda became the real-life Richie Richie.
POMPOSELLI: Yeah, it was like instant popularity status. You win a house and everyone knows you!
WWE.COM: Did you have any fun inside the Orlando casa before selling it?
POMPOSELLI: Oh yeah, I remember pulling up in the limo, and right as I get out the cameras are flashing. I got to meet The Bushwhackers and a bunch of other Superstars. We did a lot of vignettes of me going around the house and doing different things, which they aired weekly. It was awesome! It was like I was a part of the WWE Family for just that month. I still have the whole experience taped on VHS.