17 Most Brutal Hazing Horror Stories In Wrestling

13. Michael Cola

Owen Hart Michael Cole
WWE.com

In something that might explain stories of how brusk he was with many others in the years that followed, Michael Cole took his lumps during his earliest days within WWE, and before he even entered the vortex of the worst people to be around in the entire company, he was getting hazed by some of the best.

Per his own recollection as well as that of others at the time, he was sprayed with Coca Cola below the waist by Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith - enough to cover his trousers and everything else below the lens, but obviously not anything the cameras could see. The newcomer then had to conduct the entire interview no-selling what had happened, and presumably work the rest of the evening keeping the upper lip stiff despite the suit being soaked, lest he "sell" for the wrestlers that didn't see him as anything more than an inferior Todd Pettengill.

There were other initiations to survive for Cole - it got a lot worse before it got better, though at least the next damage was easier to wash off...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.