10 Stories That Prove Wrestling Is The Wildest Industry EVER

7. Dedication To The Craft

Scott Steiner
WWE.com

Don Callis has put over Kenny Omega's Manitoba upbringing, and it works as a delusional heel bit and a measure of his actual mettle.

Omega plays a crazed caricature of a pro wrestler who happens to be a super athlete. He's a dork who can concuss his opponents with a single knee strike. The tales of his training on the tundras get over because he's a very theatrical performer and Callis, selling fantasy as reality without flinching, is eye-rolling in his bluster.

But an excerpt from Edge's autobiography reveals that the wilderness of the area really is severe.

In it, he regaled readers of the "winter death tour". To make even a semblance of a name for himself, he had to traverse icy lakes in ink-blank darkness to make what few towns comprised the scene, and he revealed that he came not far away from dying purely to work a sh*tty gig.

Alongside Christian, Rhyno and others, guided by lights that showed him where not to plummet to his frostbitten doom, he, with Pantera blaring through the speakers to stave off exhaustion, almost made it across the lake before a "football field sized" hole of water appeared in front of him.

He handed the keys to an intrepid passenger, who, not caring that the foot-heigh water might have got deeper, drove the wrestlers across. Many artists eat sh*t and face rejection before getting signed.

Edge, Christian and Rhyno effectively risked death.

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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!