Heidenreich knows his infamous Michael Cole segment is still disturbing, but he also understands why wrestling fans never forgot it.
While speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Heidenreich looked back on the bizarre WWE segment from over 20 years ago and admitted it was not the kind of thing he ever trained for while learning how to perform vignettes.
“It’ll always be disturbing, right? There’s no doubt about it. I mean, it was brought to me. I don’t remember particulars, but I do remember thinking, man, this is really, really off the wall. This is—I didn’t train for like when you’re training to do vignettes and practicing in Louisville, you don’t practice for a vignette like that.”
Heidenreich explained that the pitch involved abducting Cole, taking him backstage, and making the scene seem like it was going in one direction before revealing that he was actually going to read him a poem.
“Well, I mean, they said I was going to abduct him, right, you know, and bring him to the back and then put him in a room. And then I think it was like you’re going to act like you were watching him and you’re going one place with it. You’re going to, it’s like you’re going like, and then you say I’m going to give you a poem, but it sounds like I’m going to give him something other than a poem.”
Heidenreich admitted the segment was full of obvious innuendo, but said he was not in a position to turn things down at the time. Unless WWE asked him to do something that would land him in jail, he was going to do the material and give it his best effort.
“Yeah, for sure, man. But when they bring it to you, I’m not going to say no. You know, like when they said you’re going to be with Legion of Doom, I’m like, all right. Whatever they bring to you, that’s where I was. If they told me to do a backstage thing or do this and that—unless it was like killing somebody or something and I’d have to go to jail—I would do it. I’m going to do it the best I can.”
Heidenreich said much of the heavy breathing and strange physicality may have come from his own ad-libbing while trying to stay in character. Looking back, even he admitted how odd that sounds.
“I think a lot of that is my ad-libbing, you know, just with—I mean being Heidenreich. Somebody else might have done that totally different. I may not have done it at all. I don’t know. I just did what felt natural. That’s not good—it seems so natural.”
As for Michael Cole, Heidenreich said Cole seemed to understand they were working together to build a scene. He said Cole may have found it weird, but he was not visibly upset and played his part well. He believes the segment made him more infamous than famous. He noted that people still bring it up, including CM Punk years later, and said it definitely made him memorable.
“I mean, I guess he was kind of like, this is weird, and joking around, but he wasn’t off-put or nothing. I mean, I can tell he was down for whatever. It’s like we’re working together, right? It’s a scene and we’re building a story. I mean, he was whimpering like awesome, right? I mean, even though it was disturbing and weird and bizarre, I would have never come up with that on my own.
I think it helped—not make me famous—but more infamous, you know? But I mean, it’s disturbing still and it’s weird. I remember CM Punk talking about it years later. I remember people bringing it up. It’s definitely made me memorable. People aren’t going to forget that. That’s for sure.”
Despite how controversial the segment became, the former WWE Superstar said he does not regret doing it. He felt he delivered the best performance he could and still liked the ending with the poem. He stated that the segment was disturbing and strange, but also believable and different. In his view, that is why fans still talk about it today.
“No, no, I don’t. I did. I thought I did the best performance, I guess. And I mean, I liked it. I liked the way it ended. He was about to leave and I said, ‘Aren’t you going to thank me?’ It’s a poem by Heidenreich. When I look back and all the things that have been said about it all these years, it’s kind of made me infamous. It’s disturbing, it’s weird, but I think it was believable and it was different. It definitely kept my name out there because people still talk about it. It’s still on YouTube. It’s still being discussed. So in some way, it keeps you current.”
Two decades later, Heidenreich fully understands why the Michael Cole segment still follows him. It was uncomfortable, strange, and unlike anything else on WWE television, but it also became one of the moments that kept his name alive long after his run ended.
What do you think about Heidenreich’s reflection on the infamous Michael Cole segment? Do you think that segment went too far, or was it just a product of its era? Let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.
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