17 Most Brutal Hazing Horror Stories In Wrestling
6. Shaming A Masterpiece
Perhaps the best exhibition of WWE's rigged hierarchy at the time (there's always a rigged hierarchy, it's just down to the viewer to work out who it's rigged in favour of) an otherwise-incidental DX merch-plugging backstage bit gained infamy thanks to a verbal poison dart fired at an unsuspecting Chris Masters.
'The Masterpiece' had been gone from the company after failing a wellness test, and though rules are rules, there were certain expectations about how a character like Masters' should look. That he'd very likely been popped for something in particular, then had to not engage with that something left him in a tricky position - one that didn't need the spotlight 'The Game' was about to shine on it.
After Eric Bischoff had promoted his autobiography with Hunter and Shawn, Masters noted that he had a book in him as well. Triple H, as if he was the sharpest comedic mind in Hollywood rather than somebody who could call his own shots when just about nobody else was allowed, replied with “What are you gonna call it? How to lose 50 pounds in four weeks?”. It got a big pop from the crowd in the arena, who felt permitted to laugh along at the no-win situation Masters found himself in. There were no recriminations, as if that was even likely to be a discussion point. Quite the opposite - this was simple hazing. Simple, potentially career-killing hazing.