The Power Plant

Back in its heyday WCW had a training facility in Atlanta named the Power Plant. They had what was essentially open auditions for anyone who wanted to try to be a wrestler.

Like many huge bouncer/football player/body builder Batista thought that it would be easy for him to stroll right in and became a professional.

The lead trainer had other ideas. Sarge (as he was known) pushed Batista to the limit with calisthenics. So far, in fact, that Batista threw up and was forced to continue while standing in a pool of his own vomit. Then Sarge told him to go home; he didn't have what it took to be a professional: no heart.

Batista surmises that Sarge could be one of the reasons that WCW failed; if they passed on a man who would headline Wrestlemania in a few years with Batista, who else did they miss? (An interesting theory, but flawed in many ways.)

This story does give all of the youth reading this scholarly effort a good piece of advice: sometimes you need to ignore the people who tell you to give up.