10 Insane Stories From WWE Tryouts

3. WWE PASSED On The Next Batista

WWE Eddie Kingston
AEW

WWE is the most inscrutable organisation, possibly of all time.

You can't like wrestling too much, otherwise they'll think you're a mark; at the same time, you can't disrespect the sanctity of the business, otherwise you'll get called a c*nt and be made to change in the hallway.

That's if you even make it that far: WWE is also inscrutable because it's very difficult to determine what they're actually looking for.

Consider Wardlow: he's tall, in great shape, is (respectfully) a super hunk, and is a strong pro wrestling actor who got over in AEW very gradually with his subtle use of camera-friendly body language. He's also perfected the simple, universally satisfying power-based style that every incarnation of WWE has loved then, now, forever.

You'd think he was a lock, but WWE passed after he tried out, which is insane in and of itself. He himself believes he aced it with flying colours, but WWE wasn't bothered. As an editorial comment, that might have something to do with the fact that Triple H was around that time besotted with chasing the osmosis high of workrate acclaim.

Wardlow also revealed to Chris Van Vliet that the ex-NFL wrestlers he tried out alongside openly expressed their apathy about wrestling.

Guess who from that group became a wrestling star!

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!