10 Insane Lengths Wrestlers Went To Get Revenge For Real

2. The Annihilation Of Daniel Puder

Daniel Puder Chop
WWE Network

Daniel Puder almost broke Kurt Angle's arm with a kimura lock in late 2004.

What was he to do?

Angle said that the challenge was a shoot and had proven it, just minutes prior, by breaking the ribs of an aspiring wrestler in a glorified "match". Puder wasn't just an aspiring wrestler; he was a trained MMA fighter with a better submission game than Kurt. If not for an enterprising referee, Angle might have been humiliated and destroyed. Think CM Punk in the octagon, except Angle was actually skilled at one fighting discipline.

In revenge, the "boys" under orders chopped Puder's chest to mince as they hazed him. The entire opening of one of the biggest matches of the year was dedicated to putting some jumped-up greenhorn in his place, with legitimately painful strikes, which is insane.

The irony of course is that this - a "sequence" on the second biggest pro wrestling show of the year - only made a lick of sense to fans in the weeds of the dirt sheets. It would have alienated the casual fan.

Won't somebody please think of the casual fan?!

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!