10 Awful WWE Backstage Hazing Stories
3. Hardcore Holly Takes Liberties
He was with the company for 15 years, but Bob Holly is generally regarded as one of the grumpiest men in recent WWE history. The list of wrestlers who have a gripe with 'Hardcore' is almost endless, and while Holly’s fans claim he’s just upholding the business’ roughhouse traditions, some of the accusations thrown at him are indefensible.
Holly was best known for bullying opponents in the ring and working extra stiff with younger wrestlers, presumably to “toughen them up". He took a step too far with Tough Enough competitor Matt Capotelli, however. Brought in to help pass knowledge to the show's contestants, Holly took extreme liberties on Capotelli during a practice match by kicking him in the ribs, pulling his hair, and booting him in the face.
Bob left Capotelli broken, beaten, and bloodied, and Matt was shown crying later in the show, traumatised by the incident. His wrestling career didn’t work out for unrelated health reasons, but Capotelli’s beatdown at Holly’s hands remains one of WWE’s most disgusting examples of “rookie hazing". Holly, like a true bully, still insists that he did the right thing.