Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
The WWF/WWE has had some type of developmental system for years now. Whether it was the USWA, Ohio Valley, Power Pro, Heartland, Deep South, Florida Championship Wrestling or NXT…many of the company’s top superstars got their start in at least one of them. While some developmental names like John Cena, Kurt Angle, Randy Orton, The Miz, Brock Lesnar and Charlotte Flair all made big stars of themselves by first training in developmental, others never got to see the light of day. This series will focus on those wrestlers…the ones that at some point were a lock to get called up to the main roster and never quite made it. What once was hot, suddenly became a “not” as a WWE superstar.
Glenn Kulka
Glenn Kulka was a stand out hockey and football player from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Kulka would go on to play football in the Canadian Football League for a few years..even making the All Star team in 1991. Admittedly, Kulka was not a wrestling fan growing up…nor during his adult life. At the time, the WWF was having a hard time selling tickets in the Saskatchewan area..so the company invited a few CFL players to be a part of the show.
After the success of the show, Bret Hart called Kulka and offered him a chance to train to become a pro wrestler. Kulka liked the challenge and agreed to travel to Calgary and train with Hart and fellow wrestler/trainer Leo Burke. Kulka would work a few small Canadian independent shows before Hart set up a try out with the WWF. In 1997, Glenn Kulka signed a WWF development deal and was sent to Stamford, Connecticut to train with Dory Funk Jr at the WWF Funkin’ Dojo.
Standing 6 ft 3 in tall and weighing 275 pounds, Kulka quickly rose to becoming one of the company’s top developmental prospects. He defeated the likes of Edge, Miguel Perez Jr, Doug Furnas and the Godfather in dark matches. He was sent to IWA in Puerto Rico to further gain experience and down in Memphis for Power Pro Wrestling. It was during a WWF house show match against The Jackyl that Kulka suffered a serious leg injury. Kulka broke his leg and also tore his anterior cruciate ligament right off.
While rehabbing his injury…Kulka said he became dependent on painkillers and alcohol. He was involved in a car crash where police charged him with a DUI. When the WWF got word over the incident, his developmental contract was pulled and Kulka was soon out of professional wrestling. He lost his desire to continue and try to pursue wrestling as a career.
Glenn Kulka would check into rehab and after getting out…dabbled as an MMA fighter, a car salesman and radio host. He is currently working as a personal trainer. For a brief period of time in the late 1990’s Kulkamania was running wild in WWF developmental.
