Hazing and Ribbing

[The Scarred One]

For many newcomers int the WWE, ribbing is part of the transition process. In many cases, it can be seen as a form of initiation. Depending on how they react, it can determine whether or not they'll last in the company. Looking at it one way, one has to be mentally and emotionally tough as well as physically tough. Otherwise, they won't last long.

The WWE, as well as the wrestling business in general, has long been looked at as a large fraternity by those in the business. As with any other fraternity, ribbing, hazing and pranks have become part of the landscape. Wrestlers have been known for playing all sorts of pranks on each other. Some instances include making prank phone calls, hiding someone's laptop or wrestling gear or putting laxatives in their food. For the most part, these practical jokes are harmless, leaving the victim little more than red faced. As long as you laugh it off, shake the offender's hand and say "you got me," it's all good.

But there have been occasions where the consequences or damage done was long lasting or permanent. Several wrestlers, referees, and divas have quit or complained about the backstage pranks that weren't just practical jokes but were literally dangerous or unhealthy. Stories have made the rounds about certain wrestlers engaging in intimidating behavior with newcomers.

Two notorious offenders include Randy Orton and John Bradshaw Layfield.

One such story involving Orton involves him allegedly taking a shit in a rookie diva's travel bag. Orton's behavior caused one diva to quit and another be transferred to another show just to get away from him. Layfield has also been known for being a backstage bully against younger guys, most notably the Miz. At one point, he made sure that the Miz not be allowed to change in the locker room for some time after committing an offense. In his defense, Layfield said he acted this way to protect the business.

Practical jokes are fine as they let off steam and forge unlikely friendships. They also help break in the new guys. But there's a big difference in harmless jokes and actions that could be not only counterproductive but downright dangerous.

Now I know the WWE is not the only place that has stuff like this going on, but it doesn't seem like they go out of their way to hide it.

So with the whole Be A Star campaign that the WWE is trying hard to push, where is the line drawn when it comes to ribbing and hazing? How far is too far?

 

[whoopin' ass]

some of the hazing was just old school mentality and with a lot of the old timers, and guys trained by old timers, no longer wrestling, a lot will disappear. i think that companies like ROH and TNA are going to help kill the hazing since they are younger guys and they don't see the point of it. i think it was an intimidation factor - you try and scare guys away so that you kept your spot. who the hell is Bradshaw to "protect the business"? i think a lot of it was garbage and just bullies being bullies. imagine if you took a dump at someone's desk at work - would you even be allowed back into work the next day? a lot of it was childish and immature but it explains a lot - Owen was well liked and knows as a ribber. both Orton and JBL are not well liked and it is not hard to figure out why.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Pro wrestling is essentially a big fraternity... and at the heart of all the hazing/ribbing that's gone on over the years, is the essential trust factor. Guys would rib other guys basically to see how they would react. The right reaction would show that they were one of the boys, and it would be easier to trust them with their bodies in the ring. The wrong reaction... and the boys wouldn't feel that they could trust this guy in the ring, and he'd usually be moving on to another territory pretty quickly.

It's an absolutely antiquated practice... but you can understand where it came from. Wrestlers HAVE to be able to trust each other, because if they can't, people start getting hurt, and when you get hurt, you don't earn money and can't feed your family... or at least that's how it used to be before the days of guaranteed contracts.

Of course there's always guys who would cross the line, just like with anything. Orton taking a dump in a diva's bag. There's no call for that whatsoever. JBL not letting Miz change with the boys. I've never heard that one, so I guess it would depend on what exactly Miz's offense was. JBL was always a guy who would go to extremes, but you could usually see his line of reasoning. The most famous incident I remember with him was the Brian Christopher one. Rumour had it that Lawlers kid had slipped some girl the date rape drug and some guys found out about it. JBL (and I believe others), hazed him in the shower to the point that Christopher was bawling. I didn't hear exactly what they did to him, but considering the offense, I'm sure two and two add up to four in this instance.

Hazing in todays climate. It's not acceptable anymore. Establishing that brotherhood and the trust needed between workers... that will always have a place in wrestling. How todays workers go about that though? Who knows... but remember one thing about the strange, strange world of professional wrestling. In it, you can meet some of the most amazing people you will find anywhere... and you can also meet some of the worst people imaginable. It's just the nature of the beast.

 

[whoopin' ass]

It's an absolutely antiquated practice... but you can understand where it came from. Wrestlers HAVE to be able to trust each other, because if they can't, people start getting hurt, and when you get hurt, you don't earn money and can't feed your family... or at least that's how it used to be before the days of guaranteed contracts.

but how does that build trust? in my mind, it does the exact opposite. you may not intentionally try and hurt the guy but at the same time, you would probably be more stiff with them than you would with someone else and that could lead to injury. at the same time, why would you go to bat for someone if they have been nothing but ignorant towards you? i understand a little ribbing but a lot of these unwritten rules and hazing just seemed to be a way for the old guys to try and either scare away new talent or give them a bad name.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

but how does that build trust? in my mind, it does the exact opposite. you may not intentionally try and hurt the guy but at the same time, you would probably be more stiff with them than you would with someone else and that could lead to injury. at the same time, why would you go to bat for someone if they have been nothing but ignorant towards you? i understand a little ribbing but a lot of these unwritten rules and hazing just seemed to be a way for the old guys to try and either scare away new talent or give them a bad name.

Simple.

Hazing, while it is something that over time got carried away, is at the heart a practice meant to welcome people to the team/brotherhood through a shared ritual. If you can take it... then you're one of the boys. If you're one of the boys, then you're someone that can be trusted.

If you can't, then you're not one of the boys, and not someone the brotherhood can trust.

Scaring people away? In wrestling absolutely. Wrestling isn't for everyone and when you're in the ring with someone, and trusting your body and your livelihood with them, you want to know that you can count on them. By indoctrining them into the wrestling fraternity through some type of hazing ritual, you've weeded out the people that can handle the business and those who can't.

And your example about someone being more stiff and hurting people because of hard feelings over a hazing? Well that would be someone who got weeded out as being a guy that couldn't handle the business, and if that guys smart, he'd better have the car running to get out of dodge as quickly as possible.

Like I said. Antiquated, but that's where the basic premise of it comes from.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The problem with the whole thing is that it's a double standard... On one hand wrestlers and WWE eulogise the "ribbers" of the past, guys like Owen and Davey who were legendary for it but also promote an anti-bullying campaign.

If you listen to the rib stories of Owen or Davey, while "the boys" consider them good natured, much of the general population would have considered it bullying, regardless of the intent. It'd be like saying of the kid who flushed your head at school "Well it did clear up my acne".

The other side is that as a corporation in modern america, WWE's staff (employees, not wrestlers) are protected against harrassment and bullying by statute. If an office worker was ribbed by Orton in the manner Candice was, not only would Orton be fired but the victim would sue WWE for millions. Wrestlers and on screen performers are not employees though, so they don't get that protection. It's a crazy situation where the girl processing their payments gets more protection that the guys who earn the money. If JBL had cold cocked a writer the way he did Blue Meanie, he'd have faced charges.

Ribbing in itself will never disappear, many people are calling it an initiation... It certainly wasn't, a lot of the early stuff was as a counter to life on the road, which could be very grim.

Over time some people anointed themselves "guardians of the business" and thus decided they had the right to haze and test newcomers to see if they had the right stuff, that is not ribbing, those aren't jokes in the same sense as someone like Owen or Davey would pull. Every time Hogan mentions Matsuda breaking his leg the first day or the Hart Dungeon gets eulogized it perpetuates the myth that the business needs protecting. Maybe in the 70's to mid 80's but since then the genie has been out the bottle. The moment Mr.T headlined Mania it was done with.

Someone like Undertaker has the greatest respect, not cos he hazed his way to or usurped locker room power but cos he considered a total professional and never used or abuses that earned respect. Taker has never used the "That doesn't work for me..." or "You need to lighten up...oh by the way, you're screwed"

The Cena/Riley situation is the polar opposite. Someone with a position in the company, taking liberties on someone lower and using the "ribbing culture" as justification. Riley had the right to be pissed off and not to go along with the rib in good humor. But the culture WWE promotes allows Cena to get him in trouble, bury him and make Riley the asshole... that's not professional and an abuse of position in anyone's book.

I get the trust points but they are wrong at worst and misguided at best. The wrestling business as those guys know it has been dead since Vince blew the whistle on kayfabe. Many are simply defending their place in a pecking order (JBL/Miz and the chicken incident is a prime example) so they are over others, much like frats operate. For some it might be bitterness that these "kids" get it easier than they did, I can imagine someone like Holly or JBL using that excuse, newsflash, you didn't have to take abuse then...just people chose to cos they didn't have the balls to stand up to it... If Hogan had returned and broken Matsuda's leg would he be out the business, no...they'd have embraced him doubly as a tough guy and he'd have been pushed quicker!

All a WWE wrestler needs to know about his colleauges is are they professional and are they properly trained. Since the Charles Austin lawsuit, WWE goes to massive lengths to make sure people are ready through dark matches, tryouts and developmental, they don't unleash greenhorns who cannot work at all on their talent anymore (Ryback isn't very good, not green).

So then all the talent should be worrying about is is the guy professional enough to protect me, and there is nothing more unprofessional or more likely to make him not want to protect you than shitting in his bag and locking it to the ceiling. 99% of guys in the WWE have spent years trying to get there, it's not their problem that they have maybe had it easier than you did... surely that is enough for entry to "the club" if you're good enough, you're good enough. But, there is no union... no way of enforcing this... As I have long said, I do not see how SAG haven't jumped on WWE as they now refer to wrestlers as actors... but that's for another thread.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I get what TNTRobtaylor is saying, and I should have probably prefaced my comments by saying I was speaking more from the standpoint of the older, kayfabe generation.

In today's environment, while I do believe that the trust needs to be there beyond knowing that someone has been trained properly (and that's another topic entirely - poor training today), there isn't a need to go overboard like some will do. It goes back to the nature of the business though. Like I said earlier, in it you'll meet some of the best people ever... and some of the worst. Put all of them in a frat house, and you're absolutely going to always have people who go to far.

The shared ritual of bonding so that both workers feel more comfortable with each other and their bodies... I think there's always a place for that.

The mean spiritedness meant to assert dominance over another... there's never a place for that.

When discussing hazing and ribbing, I think it's important to remember that.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

There's a fine line between playing a joke and bullying. For instance, I don't see things like putting shaving cream in a gym bag or icy hot in someone's jock strap as necessarily malicious. It can be if it's taken to an extreme but, sometimes, it's just genuinely done as part of a bonding process.

However, guys like JBL & Randy Orton do take it too far. If Orton did take a dump in someone's bag, then that's most definitely over the line. When you resort to using bodily fluids & waste as a means of playing a joke or hazing, then you're crossing the line into sociopath territory. You could always retaliate but you run the risk of jeopardizing your career, depending upon who the person is. At the same time, it might be the only way to earn the respect of some wrestlers.

While I do agree that some of the old school mentality when it comes to hazing & ribbing is outdated, it's still part of earning respect out on the road. In this day and age, a lot of young guys go into pro wrestling expecting to be treated as though they're mega stars and they walk around acting like them. It seems as though respect is something that a lot of people, both in wrestling and in society at large, is expected to just be handed out like coupons in the mail. The notion of having to earn respect seems to rub people the wrong way. For example, these days, everytime you do something for a laugh at someone else's expense, they call you a bully. It's gotten to where you can't even play a harmless prank that's meant in a good natured way without someone just completely flying off the handle. As the years go by, it seems we go from one extreme to the other. It used to be that in order to be a man, you had to behave like this macho caveman that kept everything inside, kept your emotions hid, was willing to nail any woman that you could. These days, you're called being out of touch or insensitive if you do or say anything that can be misconstrued or twisted. You throw a water balloon out of a two story window and soak someone, you're committing assault rather than playing an immature prank. If you take a leak in the bushes and someone sees you, they say you're flashing them. We've become so obsessed with political correctness that we're basically hamstringing ourselves.

Hazing does go over the line in wrestling just as it does in real life. But sometimes, somtimes, joking around is all that it is. Sometimes, whether male or female, you need to grow some balls, metaphorically speaking, and handle your business like an adult instead of turning everything into a hysterical situation.

 

[Mustang Sally]

....a lot of it was childish and immature but it explains a lot - Owen was well liked and knows as a ribber.

Even as political correctness doesn't allow us to say anything negative about Owen Hart, he must have been a pain in the ass to have around the company that toured together and spent so much time in each other's presence. The night after he died, remember the parade of superstars saying a few words in his memory? Several of them mentioned Owen's practical jokes, and the manner in which they said it, I wondered how much they really enjoyed his "antics." Probably they were pretending it was great fun now that Owen was dead, but they were less than thrilled when he was alive. Even as Owen apparently kept up his constant barrage of hazing and ribbing, many of them probably laughed at the victim because they figured they were supposed to laugh at the doings of such a fun-loving guy......yet the truth was they were happy the victim was someone other than themselves.

Hazing and ribbing is simply a form of bullying. Many people react by encouraging the bully in the hopes that appearing to be on his side will endear you to him (or her) and keep him off your back. That Owen apparently had a lot of power in the company probably kept any of the victims of his practical jokes from bashing his teeth in. If that had happened, maybe Owen would have stopped his hazing and the locker room would have been a calmer, safer place. If you think everyone loved Owen's ways, you've never dealt with a bully. The idea of making someone feel bad in order to make yourself feel good stinks, but it's not uncommon.

If you were a member of the WWE team, maybe you would have thought that someone finding their bag filled with JBL's shit was hysterical......but how would you feel if it was your bag?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

That's kinda the thing, Owen is known for being more the "joke" side of things rather than malicious but there is no inherent rule that says jokes have to be taken in good humor.

I personally don't take people messing with me well, never will, not cos of the joke itself but the implication that the joker feels they have the right to make it, to decide whether I or others should find it funny and to "not get in trouble" for it. If someone does it to me, they get both barrells, not a "reciept" but I'll mess them up...not cos I have no sense of humor but because if I did it to someone I'd expect the same back.

The biggest problem WWE has is the transition from this old school mentality into a corporate environment. If younger guys walk in like they own the place and older guys have a problem, whose problem is it? Where guys like Holly and JBL arguably started was out of their own misplaced sense of entitlement, once they got a bit of push they called it "seniority".

Bullies are bullies... To be honest I think WWE is making a huge own goal with their campaign, as their whole concept is based on bullying... It's no use saying the bully gets their comeuppance, cos they go right back to bullying for the next feud...

 

[theBec2101]

I think it depends on the person and the prank or style of hazing. Like ownes was more of a prankster and JBL was more of a Hazier. Owen-everyone has a good time and think it’s funny as well as the person it happened too. JBL-he is the only one that thinks it funny and people get pissed

 

[Mustang Sally]

I personally don't take people messing with me well, never will, not cos of the joke itself but the implication that the joker feels they have the right to make it, to decide whether I or others should find it funny and to "not get in trouble" for it.

Yes, and you said it better than I did. When the practical joker excuses his actions by telling you: "Well, that's just the way I am" they're failing to understand that just because this is "the way they are" doesn't require the rest of us to accept it.

One of the guys who eulogized Owen the night after his death was Edge, who spoke of him as "my aggravating friend." In '99, Edge was still one of the young guys who probably had to take whatever garbage guys like Owen and JBL threw at them. Even at the time, I wondered what kind of stuff went on behind the scenes to cause Edge and others to make reference that night to Owen's practical jokes, especially at a time reserved for praising him.

As I said, pranks aren't so funny when you're the victim, even though the unfortunate person might have to laugh along with everyone else to show they're a good sport. Bullying is a dirty game.....and it takes many forms.

 

[flyinbukta]

I personally don't take people messing with me well, never will, not cos of the joke itself but the implication that the joker feels they have the right to make it, to decide whether I or others should find it funny and to "not get in trouble" for it. If someone does it to me, they get both barrells, not a "reciept" but I'll mess them up...not cos I have no sense of humor but because if I did it to someone I'd expect the same back.

You do realise that makes you the asshole and not them though, right?

If someone makes a joke at your expense and everyone around goes "Dude, that's wrong, you shouldn't be doing that.", then you have some right to have a go.
On the other hand, if everyone else goes, "Ha ha ha, that was a good one, clever.", then if you feel the need to have a go, you're probably lacking in a sense of humour.
However, in either case, or a case of mixed reactions, the only right you have (in the first instance), is to go, "Hey man, I know you were joking, but I'm not into people pranking me, so can you not do that again." In the case of someone who was genuinely looking for a laugh, you'll usually get the response of "Oh shit, I'm sorry mate, I didn't know. I won't do it again."
If they're an asshole about it, do whatever you want. Or if you know that it's someone who wouldn't take it if you did the same thing to them, then you can react badly.

But if you're not willing to see if someone's an asshole before treating them like one, that puts you in the wrong.

As to the original topic, I've heard various stories of pranks in wrestling locker rooms, and I think they're not a bad thing. It just depends on the level of a prank.
I mean, harmless pranks like hiding someone's wrestling gear. It gives someone a bit of a panic, but as long as there's someone there who can give the stuff back before it's too late, then it's not a huge deal. Shitting in someone's bag however, just wrong. That's vile, from pretty much every standpoint.

In Corporate WWE nowadays, I expect we'll hear about it less. Maybe not that there are less pranks, but less of them will be a big enough deal to cause any fallout that we'd find out about.

I mean, people still play office pranks. I once turned a co-worker's monitor upside-down, and then flipped the view on Windows, so he spent 25 minutes figuring out what the hell had happened and why his screen wouldn't turn back over when he put his monitor back. Funny, it was during his lunch break so harmless, and it took me maybe a second to fix.
Another time I was in the staff kitchen, and I saw that one of the guys had a bottle of coke next to his lunch. So my boss shook it up, and when he ate his lunch, he got covered in it. Embarrassed him, but he laughed it off, and he got us both back. (With Mentos, as it happens xD).

All-in-all, some jokes are funny and harmless, some aren't. It depends on the joke really.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

You do realise that makes you the asshole and not them though, right?

If someone makes a joke at your expense and everyone around goes "Dude, that's wrong, you shouldn't be doing that.", then you have some right to have a go.
On the other hand, if everyone else goes, "Ha ha ha, that was a good one, clever.", then if you feel the need to have a go, you're probably lacking in a sense of humour.
However, in either case, or a case of mixed reactions, the only right you have (in the first instance), is to go, "Hey man, I know you were joking, but I'm not into people pranking me, so can you not do that again." In the case of someone who was genuinely looking for a laugh, you'll usually get the response of "Oh shit, I'm sorry mate, I didn't know. I won't do it again."
If they're an asshole about it, do whatever you want. Or if you know that it's someone who wouldn't take it if you did the same thing to them, then you can react badly.

But if you're not willing to see if someone's an asshole before treating them like one, that puts you in the wrong.

As to the original topic, I've heard various stories of pranks in wrestling locker rooms, and I think they're not a bad thing. It just depends on the level of a prank.
I mean, harmless pranks like hiding someone's wrestling gear. It gives someone a bit of a panic, but as long as there's someone there who can give the stuff back before it's too late, then it's not a huge deal. Shitting in someone's bag however, just wrong. That's vile, from pretty much every standpoint.

In Corporate WWE nowadays, I expect we'll hear about it less. Maybe not that there are less pranks, but less of them will be a big enough deal to cause any fallout that we'd find out about.

I mean, people still play office pranks. I once turned a co-worker's monitor upside-down, and then flipped the view on Windows, so he spent 25 minutes figuring out what the hell had happened and why his screen wouldn't turn back over when he put his monitor back. Funny, it was during his lunch break so harmless, and it took me maybe a second to fix.
Another time I was in the staff kitchen, and I saw that one of the guys had a bottle of coke next to his lunch. So my boss shook it up, and when he ate his lunch, he got covered in it. Embarrassed him, but he laughed it off, and he got us both back. (With Mentos, as it happens xD).

All-in-all, some jokes are funny and harmless, some aren't. It depends on the joke really.

I think you need to re-read my comment and understand it before saying I would be the asshole... The asshole would the the person making the assumption of how I should react or "take" that they felt they had the right to make on me. Especially in the workplace.

That's probably why guys like A-Ri got in trouble, cos they didn't appreciate the joke, but more cos they were unhappy that it was allowed to be pulled in the first place cos of who Cena was. You were lucky with your Mento's story, your company could have reported it as a homemade explosive... No joke, some people would do that... As a manager myself, I'd have fired them for sure, not cos of the "joke" itself, but the poor judgement in doing it in the first place.

 

[TheMainMan32]

I see from this thread that some people don't have a lot of male friends, or have never been involved on a sports team.

ANYTIME you have a bunch of men around each other, you're going to have people playing pranks on each other. If you are friends, then it is done out of a sense of affection. No one gets hurt, except possibly annoyed, you laugh it off, call the other guy an "asshole", and move on. That's the kind of ribbing Owen Hart was known for- things that didn't cause harm to others.

Shitting in my bag will earn you an ass-whoopin. No questions asked.

Slipping someone roofies should earn you... whatever Brian Lawler received in the shower because that's despicable.

The NFL/ NBA/ MLB all do the same thing to rookies. They all get hazed/ pranced to a certain extent - especially the superstar rookies I.E. Tim Tebow's teammates cutting his hair crazy and making him walk around in public like that. It was hilarious, harmless. Even reporters laughed about it. It was a way of saying "Welcome to the big leagues. Don't get a big head because this is still a team sport. You may be a star, but you're still a Rook, and don't know anything yet."

It's just something that happens. Can it go too far? Sure, and sometimes it does. But some of the wrestlers that show up in the WWE have no respect. For instance, leaving chicken bones in the locker room is not only nasty, but shows a lack of respect for the people that share the locker room with you, and the people that have to clean the locker rooms when you leave. Those people are all a part of the "business". You should get hazed when that happens, so you don't do it again.

Just my two cents.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

I see from this thread that some people don't have a lot of male friends, or have never been involved on a sports team.

ANYTIME you have a bunch of men around each other, you're going to have people playing pranks on each other. If you are friends, then it is done out of a sense of affection. No one gets hurt, except possibly annoyed, you laugh it off, call the other guy an "asshole", and move on. That's the kind of ribbing Owen Hart was known for- things that didn't cause harm to others.

Shitting in my bag will earn you an ass-whoopin. No questions asked.

Slipping someone roofies should earn you... whatever Brian Lawler received in the shower because that's despicable.

The NFL/ NBA/ MLB all do the same thing to rookies. They all get hazed/ pranced to a certain extent - especially the superstar rookies I.E. Tim Tebow's teammates cutting his hair crazy and making him walk around in public like that. It was hilarious, harmless. Even reporters laughed about it. It was a way of saying "Welcome to the big leagues. Don't get a big head because this is still a team sport. You may be a star, but you're still a Rook, and don't know anything yet."

It's just something that happens. Can it go too far? Sure, and sometimes it does. But some of the wrestlers that show up in the WWE have no respect. For instance, leaving chicken bones in the locker room is not only nasty, but shows a lack of respect for the people that share the locker room with you, and the people that have to clean the locker rooms when you leave. Those people are all a part of the "business". You should get hazed when that happens, so you don't do it again.

Just my two cents.

I agree 100%. You have to be able to laugh at yourself before laughing at somebody else. I have zero problems with pranks AS LONG as they don't cross the line. Shitting in someones bag is just wrong. Shitting in someones sandwich is messed up too but they did that because no one liked Sunny.

I missed the Lawler roofies incident, what happened?

 

[asiatic7]

Lots of good posts on here. It think ribbing in a good natured way is always fun. I do it to my wife and kids all the time. I use a water gun to wake my daughter out of bed when she doesn't get up. I pour cold water on my wife when she's showering. I'm a ribber, but I don't step over the line with it. I agree, the sandwich and gym bag shit is definitely crossing the line. As much as I don't like the Miz, JBL had no right to bully him around. But it's also up to Miz to grow a set and stand up to JBL. What would you do? I love to hear the stories of Owen Hart ribbing people. It was such a good nature prank every time. Hell, the man even ribbed his own father! What JBL and Orton did was just being a typical asshole.

To the poster who said most people on the site don't have many male friends., well count me as one. That is because I find most guys to be ego -maniac assholes. Guys tend to do things to fit in and are scared to go against the grain and be themselves. It's the alpha male complex. Make someone look like a fool in front of others to assert your male dominance over that person. A man's ego will always be his downfall. I think ribbing and hazing for ritual or traditional reasons are stupid and don't prove shit. It just gives assholes a reason to be an asshole with all due respect...

 

[TheMainMan32]

A man's ego will always be his downfall. True. And that goes double for someone entering a profession where he has the potential to make enough money that his children will never have to work a day in their lives, if he plays his cards right. If you make it to the WWE you have the right to call yourself one of the best in the world at your profession. And professional wrestling is an ego-centric profession. Some rookies probably need to be knocked down a few pegs upon entering. Hence, hazing / pranking.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I got to be clear, if you like jokes played on you or are willing to do it to others then that's fine... I'd have a problem. I do have male friends and have played team sports AND wrestled and I would consider those places my workplace while there. I don't like them, don't play them and I wouldn't want to work somewhere where it was expected I had to go along with it.

The Lawler incident was alleged that JBL and some others cornered him in the showers and threatened him with the same "offence" they thought he committed there and then, without the chemicals... I don't for a minute believe it, cos it would be breaking the law, and if they had evidence it should have been handed over to the cops but that's what was alleged.

 

[Teddy Irving]

I don't feel that hazing or ribbing is that big a deal. Now I am not saying that if you don't enjoy it happening to you that you should just accept it, and that others shouldn't just expect you to accept it either.
That being said you shouldn't over react to it. Certain things are over the limit like orton shitting in someones bag but things like hiding someone's gear to create a bit of panic, but giving it back just in time, is fine.
It is just a thing that guys do to each other and is just meant to be a laugh, if you have a problem with it don't over react just roll with it and then go to the person later and tell them that you aren't up for being ribbed and hopefully that will sort the problem out.
But harmless fun and ribs are just part of hanging around with a group of lads all the time and you have to learn to just roll with the punches and accept that every once in a while you will be punked out

 

[Mitch Henessey]

There are certain lines you just don't cross. Sometimes, a joke, hazing, or a prank can go too far, and everyone has their limits. But amongst guys, their is this certain "man code" you have to follow. Sometimes you just have to "take it." Be a good sport, and roll with the punches. And if you lose your temper, and make a threat to kick someone's ass, then you're a sensitive bitch, who can't take a joke. That's just the way it is.

As others have already mentioned, bullying has many forms. It's not just limited to beating someone up for their lunch money, or taking clothes and shoes. Times have changed for the worst, unfortunately.

WWE is heavily pushing the Be A Star campaign. We all know this, and it's no secret. I always separate entertainment from reality, when I see wrestlers bully and taunt other wrestlers on screen. But when you hear some of the real life stories of backstage hazing, it makes you question things, and it's kind of hard to take the Be A Star stuff seriously.

 

[Dirk]

What fascinates me about Orton being such a bully is that it seemed that he himself got a dream ride to the top. Being a part of Evolution in 2002 after making your wrestling debut only in 2000? Winning the big one at age 24? Nope, not buying that Orton had a harder time that the people he bullied.

If getting kicked out the army makes you a loose cannon, shitting in a bag makes you an asshole. In the training bag of a lady? That makes you a piece of shit.

I was in a fraternity and I maintain that hazing has a constructive role to play. What I also learnt is that the senior guys who give you the crappiest time were usually the worst little bitches when they were on the receiving end and that the guys who were really tough never felt the need to pick on the new guy.

 

[Final Form Snyper.]

Hazing is something that happens in everyday life and is MOSTLY used in good fun and a way to find out a persons character. I was an apprentice once, awhile ago and the things that happened to me I felt never crossed the line. Things like filling my shoes with dirt or taking my work bag, pulling it inside out and putting everything back in. I viewed that as harmless fun and get a good laugh about them. It's a good character builder when it's not used as a measure to male them feel totally
unwanted/needed. This is no different in the wrestling business.

Whether it's 'sand bagging' a move to see how they react or taking their clothes while they shower. It's all in good fun and used to sortof make someone grow up. Things like defecating on someone's personal belongings are not only way too far to be considered a prank or 'ribbing', it's vile and a dispicable act that really shows what type of person the attacker is.

The way I see it is that if it's done with the intention to test the new person or as a harmless joke, I can see the funny side of it and can have a laugh along side the guy who did it to me. Do it to be an asshole and revenge will be extracted. No one regardless of position within a company should be allowed to act in such a way. The fact that guys like Randy Orton and JBL remained unpunished also shows the type of character the 'higher ups' have.

 

[Brothervis]

If the thing with Alex Riley and Cena is true I guess it shows when Cena got bullied he was a little bitch about it. Never understood hazing at all because they labeled it that but it was just people being a bully. I could see when someone was a legit rookie not in the company but starting out in the biz but when a guy had a few years in the biz and your hazing them your a ahole. Wonder who bullied Lesnar because I doubt anyone had the balls to do it. Now that I think of it the only person who could of bullied Cena back in 02 would of been the undertaker but I doubt he did. If Cena was out of line he went to OJ Simpson court but for him to rib a guy shows he really is a piece of shit and a hypocrite. Love to see him rib a child so everyone can see his fake act. People don't like Cena not just for kicks but because he plays a fake character. The WWE should build him as hollywood and let a slow heel turn happen and let him let out 7+ years of frustration being a guy that's not him

 

[boywithbluehanger]

The obvious thing to do is to just outright say that hazing, ribbing, pranking, or whatever anyone wants to call it, should have strict repercussions entirely. The reason for this is because everyone has a different sense of what is or what is not humorous. Just because you find doing a particular action "hilarious", doesn't give you the right to directly perform that action on someone else. Terms like "Laughing it off" imply that the joke is not necessarily funny to the one who is the subject of the execution. The workplace (like life) isn't like a roast where a person willingly subjects himself to embarrassment at his own expense.

People who haze others always have the ability to decide not to haze. But alternatively, people getting hazed do not always have have the ability to stop it before it happens. Therefore because its not an equal playing field, the perpetrator is always in the wrong for making the decision.