5 crazy WWE facts you probably did not know

If we have learned anything from the WWE over the years, it is that anything can happen in the sport of professional wrestling. And while everything inside the ring is predetermined and designed for your entertainment, the real lives of the performers are not. But even then, once in a while, you will be surprised to know something unbelievable about your favourite wrestler.

The WWE has some of the most obsessive fans in the world. These fans will go to any limits to know everything about the sport that they love. But even then, there are a lot of things that even the most ardent WWE fans don't know.

Here are 5 crazy WWE facts you probably didn't know.

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#5 Roman Reigns was not supposed to be in The Shield

Roman Reigns was not in the original plans for The Hounds of Justice

The Shield is perhaps the greatest WWE faction of the 21st century. Since their debut in 2012, they have all been major fixtures on WWE programming and all three members of The Shield have gone on to win the WWE Championship. But if the WWE had followed through with their original plans, The Shield might have looked a lot different.

On the infamous podcast with Colt Cabana, CM Punk revealed that The Shield was actually his idea. And he had wanted the group to comprise of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Kassius Ohno! But Vince McMahon and Triple H decided to replace Ohno with Reigns at the last moment.

This story was even confirmed by Reigns himself on an episode of Chris Jericho's 'Talk is Jericho' podcast. And although WWE might not have followed through with Punk's plans, it is hard to question their decision in hindsight. While Roman Reigns has gone on to headline four WrestleManias in a row, Ohno is yet to make the main roster.

#4 The Undertaker wanted to retire in 2000

The Deadman transformed into The American Badass in 2000

The Undertaker has been with the WWE for nearly three decades. And to this day he remains one of the biggest stars in the company. Just a mere appearance from The Undertaker can set the wrestling world ablaze.

But what most people don't realize is that The Undertaker's career could have been over almost two decades ago. In 1999, Taker suffered a serious groin injury which would force him to take a break from wrestling. Then while recovering, he ended up tearing a pectoral muscle as well.

It was at this time that Undertaker started to consider retiring from wrestling. The two injuries had made it impossible to train, and it would be pretty rough for him to start from scratch upon recovery. By this point, he was also a veteran in the WWE, and his body already had started to break down.

But thankfully, he did not go through with his plan and returned to the WWE eight months later with his new American Badass character. Just think of all the things that would have never happened if The Undertaker had actually retired back in 2000.

#3 Sting was supposed to be NWO's third member

The NWO is one of the greatest factions in wrestling history

Today, everybody remembers WCW's Bash At The Beach 1996 as the event where Hulk Hogan turned heel to join forces with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to form the NWO. It is easily the greatest moment in WCW history.

The image of WCW fans throwing garbage into the ring while Hogan cuts his first heel promo with Nash and Hall by his side will forever remain etched in the minds of the fans who witnessed it.

But one thing most people don't know is that the 'third man' in the NWO was originally supposed to be the guy who turned out to be their biggest rival: Sting! This was Scott Hall in an interview in 2013. Eric Bischoff had actually managed to convince Sting to turn heel and join forces with The Outsiders after Hogan had rejected Bischoff's offer to turn heel months earlier.

But since then The Outsiders had become one of the hottest things in all of wrestling and Hogan realized that turning heel would make him more money than staying in his babyface role which had grown stale by that point.

So Hogan used his backstage power to replace Sting as the 'third man', and formed the NWO with Hall and Nash. Rumours are that even on the night of Bash At The Beach, Bischoff had kept Sting as a back up in case Hogan changed his mind.

#2 SmackDown was supposed to be an all women's show

Sable coined the term 'diva' for women in the WWE

The women in the WWE have seen a drastic rise in importance over the past few years and the company will be hosting its first ever all women's pay-per-event called 'Evolution' in October. And while this is a huge step in the women's revolution in the WWE, surprisingly the company had actually planned to have an all women's show way back in 1999.

Yes, SmackDown was originally planned to be exclusively for WWE's female wrestlers. And even more shocking is the fact that the inspiration behind this show was Sable, literally one of the worst wrestlers to step foot in a wrestling ring. But her shortcomings in the ring had not stopped her from becoming one of the most popular names on the WWE roster due to her gorgeous looks and seductive gimmick.

But back then the WWE women's roster had no depth at all, and thankfully the WWE did not go through with the idea. Although today we might not be too far away from actually having an all women's show, it is hard to imagine what a two-hour simply dedicated to just women would have looked like in 1999.

#1 John Cena originally played a half-man, half-machine character

Half-man, half-machine

A lot of WWE fans will remember John Cena's time as the 'Doctor of Thuganomics' during his early years in the company. He played the gimmick of a wrestling rapper perfectly, and to this day some of his promos from back then remain a highlight of his career. But what most people might not know is that this was not his first gimmick.

When Cena was in WWE's developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling, he went by the name of 'The Prototype'. In his own words, 'The Prototype' was "half-man, half-machine, a hundred percent mayhem". But in reality, he was just another wrestler who would pretend to move like a robot at times. The backward promos that Cena used to cut as 'The Prototype' are the only thing worth remembering from this time.

Thankfully, the company decided to ditch the character when Cena was called up to the main roster. It is hard to imagine 'The Prototype' inspiring millions of children all over the world.