10 shocking moments from WWE 2004

#8 The Heidenreich/Michael Cole incident

A dark moment for Cole

By the time 2004 came around, it was clear that the WWE product had changed. One of the more distinguishable differences was that while the company had the freedom to explore overtly controversial storylines and gimmicks throughout the Attitude Era, the Ruthless Aggression Era had to be slightly more subtle.

Rather than having an actual porn star gimmick parade around the ring in a towel, for example, the controversy was a lot more implied.

2004 had its fair share of troubling storylines including the Lita, Kane and Matt Hardy love triangle, as previously mentioned. Another memorable spot during this year was the time when Michael Cole found himself a little too close to Heidenreich.

Heidenreich debuted in 2003 with his strange 'little Johnny' gimmick where he would be controlled by a small doll, similar to the way George the Animal Steele or Al Snow used props as ways of layering their character.

The gimmick was dropped as Heidenreich went into 2004, where he picked up an even more worrying personality. Under the tutelage of Paul Heyman, the former Pro-Football player turned into a psychotic heel, bullying everyone in his path and reciting dark poetry.

In one memorable segment, Heidenreich turned his attention to Michael Cole who had been a staple of the commentary team for quite some time. While he was commentating on Smackdown, alongside Tazz, the large frame of Heidenreich suddenly came out of the crowd and carried Cole away to the back.

In scenes that would land the WWE in very hot water today, it was insinuated that Heidenreich took advantage of the announcer in the men's toilets before reading him a poem whilst grabbing him by the throat.

The scene was difficult to watch but also showed how the WWE wasn't afraid to still push the limits of acceptability from time to time. As we now exist in a more PG age, it's no surprise that this segment isn't often referred to anymore.