10 Wrestlers Who Were Driven Out Of The Business

2. Virtually Everybody Who Tried Out For The WCW Power Plant

Palmer Cannon
WWE

The most successful graduate of the WCW Power Plant, Bill Goldberg, did not know how to wrestle and was recklessly dangerous.

The Power Plant was not the place to learn the craft of pro wrestling. Under the militant sadism of DeWayne Bruce - the man who embodies the cliché that the biggest men are often the smallest - the Power Plant operated as a means to weed out the weak. It was so barbaric in its pursuit of making would-be pro wrestlers literally sick to their stomach with stupidly intense cardio drills that many consider that it was a mere front for Bruce to wok through whatever awfulness lurked within him.

Batista was not driven out of the wrestling business - a rare 21st century megastar who fused character actor brilliance with a winning explosive power game, he dominated it - but he nearly was. Referring to Bruce as a "bitter little troll" on Talk Is Jericho, Batista was disgusted at getting fleeced $300 for learning nothing in a tryout.

Incredibly, former UFC star Chael Sonnen, who actually endured the first day and was one of few to remain, thought it was a bit much - "Navy SEAL"-level - and he was a tougher man than Bruce was in his wildest hard-nut fantasies.

 
Posted On: 
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!