10 Times Pro Wrestling Got Way Too Real

7. Daniel Puder Almost Breaks Kurt Angle's Arm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_12qn29WKA The 2004 Tough Enough competition was the first instalment of the show to be featured on proper WWE television, taking place on Smackdown. As per usual, WWE had its locker room leaders trying to intimidate and browbeat the rookies as a way to teach them respect and try to make them quit. For instance, WWE had to The Big Show go to the ring to try and punk them out and bodyslam them during one segment. Of course, the prospective wrestlers were specifically instructed never to say anything or fight back in any way, shape or form. Kurt Angle must have had this in mind when he challenged any one of the contestants to a real wrestling match in the ring. Daniel Puder, who had trained in MMA, stepped up the challenge after Angle had already defeated (and broken the ribs of) Chris Nawrocki. Angle and Puder jockeyed for position for a few seconds before Angle took him down to the mat, however, in the process of doing so Puder had manager to lock in a very real kimura submission hold on Angle's left arm. The commentators didn't sell the severity of the hold but Angle was in very real trouble. Panicking and under instruction from Gerald Briscoe (who was watching the situation unfold from backstage and knew what was going on) the referees counted Puder's shoulders down even though they were clearly off the mat. If the hold was on for just a second or two longer, Angle could have had his arm snapped. Angle immediately got in Puder's face after the impromptu contest and repeatedly asked him if he was 'f***ing stupid'. Puder was only reacting to the situation, to be fair to him, but it wasn't exactly smart to put one of the company's top stars in that position.