10 Real-life WWE Incidents that might surprise you

Zany, wacky, insane and unbelievable, these real-life incidents might surprise even the most jaded WWE fans.

With its colorful characters, larger than life personas, and out and out ridiculous at times storylines, WWE is one of the wildest and most amazing entertainment forms in existence.

In the world of WWE, black separatists can battle post-apocalyptic warriors, gang bangers can rumble with aristocrats, and the living can battle the dead.

But as zany as the world is inside of the rings and arenas that WWE fills each and every week, in the world outside of the ring, pro-wrestlers are like the rest of us. They have their human foibles and surprising weaknesses which can get them into trouble, or sometimes just controversy.

Here are ten real-life stories about WWE that you might find surprising.

#1 Randy Orton is court-martialed for going AWOL from the US Marines

Randy Orton was once an enlisted man--but not for long.

As a third generation wrestler, Randy Orton's family knew well the tribulations and trials that life on the road can bring.

Thus, despite Randy's tall and powerful build, his father and grandfather tried to convince him to stay away from a pro wrestling career. Randy Orton decided to try his hand at the military life and joined the United States Marine Corps.

Initially, it appeared as if Randy had found his calling. He did well in boot camp and even got a USMC--for the United States Marine Corps--tattoo on his body. But then things quickly soured. It seems that Randy had a habit of going awol. Awol is military jargon for away without leave, meaning he left the base without permission.

Orton did this several times until the Marines were fed up and gave Randy a bad conduct discharge. Of course, things worked out for the multi-time champion in the end, but it's a caveat on his life that some fans don't realize.

Orton is known to be the bad boy of wrestling and one of his wrestling persona's main traits is to have a disregard for authority. No wonder that the 'Legend Killer' fit right in to what was written for him.

#2 Buff Bagwell punches a WCW roadie over a carpet

Buff Bagwell didn't conduct himself as a professional during the fading days of WCW.

Back in 2000, the World Championship Wrestling promotion was feeling the heat from the WWE, who had finally turned around the ratings-war and were rapidly drawing fans from Ted Turner's product.

Understandably, tensions ran high in WCW as the wrestlers began to fear that they might lose their jobs. Perhaps this explains Buff Bagwell's shoddy behavior backstage.

After a WCW Nitro show, Bagwell hung out with several other wrestlers backstage. It's unclear who else was present, other than the fact that Miss Elizabeth and Lex Luger were there. We know this because of the police report which was filed with those two listed as witnesses.

A roadie carrying a rolled up carpet politely asked Bagwell to move aside so he could get through. Bagwell responded with an insult, and when the poor fellow tried to move past with his burden Bagwell punched him in the side of the neck. Witnesses said Bagwell's hand imprint was left behind by the heavy blow.

Bagwell would be arrested but wound up serving no jail time. It's not hard to see why Buff didn't last long in WWE with this attitude.

Another interesting fact about Bagwell is that he was one of the first superstars to be offered a WWE contract from wrestlers belonging to WCW's locker room.

#3 Before wrestling, Booker T. robbed nine restaurants

Many people have a troubled youth before gaining adulthood and accomplishing great things. Former US president George W. Bush was arrested for drunk driving and drug possession before cleaning up his act and entering politics. Robert Downey Jr. had numerous run-ins with the law until he became clean and sober and landed the role of a lifetime with Iron Man.

And Booker T spend some time in prison for a string of robberies before getting his life together and becoming the former champion we know and love.

In his teenage years, Booker T took a part-time job at a fast food restaurant chain. The sly and wily Booker T realized he had insider knowledge and could use that to successfully rob other restaurants in the chain.

He and his cohorts even wore their fast food uniforms during the robbery. Eventually, they were caught and convicted, and Booker T was sentenced to five years in jail. He only served some of his jail-sentence before getting off for good behavior.

Booker T. turned his life around and never looked back, but it's a wild and crazy story from real life WWE history.

#4 King Haku bites off a man's nose for calling wrestling 'fake'

Haku, also known as Meng (real name Tonga Fifita)

When WWE's legendary Hulk Hogan was asked who he thought the toughest wrestler who ever lived was, the Hulkster had one answer.

"Meng, brother."

Looking at Haku's career, you might not think so. He never won one of wrestling's 'big belts,' though he had numerous tag team title reigns. But prior to being a pro wrestler, Haku grew up in one of the poorer sections of the Samoan islands. He grew up tough and mean to survive his environment.

Then, he was sent by the King of Samoa to Japan for training in Sumo wrestling. The training made Haku even tougher and stronger.

Once he returned to the western world and joined the ranks of pro wrestling, Haku was already someone to not mess with.

These days, most fans know that wrestling is scripted drama, but in the old days, wrestlers were expected to protect kayfabe -- the idea that wrestling is real -- even with force if necessary.

When some hecklers at a hotel called out Haku for being a fake wrestler, he bit off the man's nose. For real!

Truth is sometimes zanier than fiction.

#5 Ken Patera throws a boulder through a restaurant window

Prior to his wrestling career, Ken Patera was a highly decorated weight lifter. He managed to win seven medals at the Pan American games--including a gold medal for clean and jerk.

Patera was also an Olympian, competing at the 1972 Olympic games. Though Patera would not be placed as a medalist, he did win many weight lifting championships outside of the Olympics.

Eventually, he turned to pro wrestling and was successful almost right away. However, during the 1980s a drunken Patera was turned away from a McDonald's restaurant, as it had recently closed.

The angry Patera lifted a huge stone from the restaurant's landscaping -- witnesses described it as a boulder -- and hurled it through the window. When police arrived at Patera's hotel to arrest him, he got into a brawl and wound up spending time in prison.

Imagine having to call the police and say that an angry pro wrestler threw a boulder through your window!

Wrestlers are often known for their showcasing their strengths. But this was a bizarre scenerio.

ALSO READ: 5 things that should have happened on WWE this week

#6 Ric Flair succumbs to road rage

'Nature Boy' Ric Flair is a legend in pro wrestling. From the plane crash which nearly ended his career before it had begun, to his sixteen world title reigns, to his appearances at WrestleMania and Starrcade, Flair has enjoyed a stellar career.

But, like any mortal man, he sometimes gives way to his personal demons and human foibles. It was once such an incident which landed the Nature Boy in deep legal trouble.

Back in 2005, Flair was riding high as a member of Evolution. Unfortunately, he was stuck in holiday traffic near his home town of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Ric Flair grew angry at the slow driver ahead of him. He forced the driver to pull over to the shoulder, then proceeded to berate and choke him. All the while, Flair threatened to have the man arrested for driving slowly.

Flair wound up being charged for the incident, though he never did jail time. We're hoping that Ric Flair has learned to count to ten instead of giving in to his road rage!

#7 John Cena saves his career on a tour bus.

There's a picture of Cena here, but you probably can't see him.

John Cena. The Measuring stick of WWE. The Face that Runs the Place. A sixteen-time world champion and now a major force in Hollywood.

But back in the early 2000s, John Cena was just a young rookie with a massive, sculpted physique and a desire to prove himself. Unfortunately, John Cena's earnest, simple, gimmick of appearing as himself didn't do much to set the world on fire. Not even a quick feud with Kurt Angle seemed able to get Cena over with the crowd.

Then, by chance, Stephanie McMahon heard Cena engaging in a freestyle rap to fight boredom on a long bus ride. The WWE executive recognized that Cena could use his rapping ability as part of his gimmick, and the Doctor of Thuganomics was born.

Truth can be strange, and sometimes your hobby can become your vocation.

Cena's rapper gimmick helped him scale up the ranks as a force to be reckoned with and he remains perhaps WWE's most recognizable face of the decade.

#8 Kurt Angle and Vince McMahon wrestle on an aeroplane

Kurt Angle and Vince McMahon are frequent allies on television, but they had a backstage rivalry.

Vince McMahon has been weight lifting and training in wrestling for most of his adult life, even though he never planned on being a full-time wrestler.

Back in 2002, Vince felt he was still young enough to rough house with the talent. He would sometimes sneak up on wrestlers like Chris Jericho and lock them in a legit headlock or try to take them down.

When Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle joined the company, the two began a friendly rivalry where they would try to take each other down with amateur wrestling holds. Apparently, their rivalry spilt onto an aeroplane, and the two engaged in a brief tussle until it became a triple threat match.

The Undertaker awoke from a nap to find his boss pinned beneath the much younger Angle. Taker leapt into the fray and started striking at Angle until the whole thing was sorted out as a misunderstanding.

#9 Owen Hart pranks Ahmed Johnson

Ahmed Johnson with Vince McMahon in 1996

The dearly departed Owen Hart was known as one of the best technical wrestlers and high flyers to ever lace up a pair of boots. A graduate of his father Stu Hart's infamous Dungeon, Owen would go on to have a stellar WWE career.

However, Owen Hart was also known as a major prankster. He loved to 'rib' his fellow talent and once 'de-pantsed' Jim Ross at a swimming pool. Ross was NOT wearing underwear, so try getting that image out of your head.

Ahmed Johnson was a star on the rise in WWE in the late 1990s. Owen called up Ahmed and pretended to be a producer for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He told Ahmed that Leno wanted him to appear on the show, and would even send a limo to pick Johnson up.

So Ahmed put on his best suit and waited outside his hotel in the hundred-degree heat for a limo that never came. Eventually, Owen came outside and asked Ahmed when he would be on the Tonight Show. Since Ahmed had not told anyone about his supposed appearance, Owen was revealed as the prankster and the two shared a good laugh.

#10 Paul Bearer terrifies the Undertaker--with cucumbers

The Undertaker says "That had better not be cucumbers I smell."

The Undertaker. The Legendary Phenom. The Deadman. The Prophet of Death Valley. The Soul Taker. The American Bad Ass.

The man who is afraid of cucumbers?

The Undertaker is one of the most legit tough men in WWE and the wrestling industry today, even at his advanced age. At nearly seven feet tall and well over three hundred pounds, Taker also trains like a madman and has studied mixed martial arts to improve his in-ring game.

He is also deathly afraid of cucumbers. You read that right. Apparently, just the smell of the green, verdant vegetable makes the Undertaker nauseated.

The Undertaker's former manager Paul Bearer decided to 'rib' the Deadman by filling his wrestling gear with cucumber slices. According to legend, Undertaker actually threw up in response. You know the dead man had a hard time living that one down.

There you have it: Ten real-life WWE stories that might surprise you. Questions or comments? Please leave them after the article and as always thanks for reading!