10 Surprising Facts About NXT Coach Robbie Brookside

3. He Came Up Through The Business The Hard Way

Brookside came up in wrestling when it was very much a heavily-protected, closed door business. His first experience in a wrestling ring was a painful one, and in an interview with WWE.com in 2014, Brookside recounted: "I threw up, and I had blood trickling down from my nose. I couldn€™t breathe. I remember a real panicked feeling inside€. Turning professional didn't automatically lead to Brookside being accepted as "one of the boys", either. For many years he was subjected to cruel "ribbing", including being burned with cigarette lighters and having WD-40 poured into his nose and mouth during long road trips. But eventually, his work ethic and talent earned the respect of the old guard and he was soon labelled as "The Future of British Wrestling". Thankfully, Brookside can teach prospective WWE talents without having to spray them with chemicals or burn their skin.