Former WWE star Jon Heidenreich has looked back on one of the most talked about and controversial moments of his career, admitting that while the segment remains uncomfortable to watch, it helped cement his place in wrestling fans' memories.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Heidenreich discussed the infamous 2004 WWE SmackDown backstage segment involving Michael Cole. The angle saw Heidenreich confront the announcer in a tense backstage encounter before unexpectedly revealing that he simply wanted to read him a poem. Despite the twist, the segment generated significant discussion due to its unsettling presentation.

Reflecting on the experience, Heidenreich admitted the scene was unlike anything he had done before and wasn't something that could be properly prepared for in advance.

"You can’t practice for that. It’ll always be disturbing, there’s no doubt about it. I do remember thinking, man, this is really off the wall."

According to Heidenreich, WWE intentionally left the audience guessing about where the segment was heading. He explained that the initial instructions suggested he would drag Cole backstage and isolate him, creating an atmosphere that implied something far more sinister before the eventual reveal.

"They said I was gonna abduct him and bring him to the back and put him in a room. It’s like you’re going one place with it, and then you say I’m gonna give you a poem, but it sounds like I’m gonna give him something other than a poem."

Heidenreich also revealed that some of the most memorable elements of the segment were not heavily scripted. The uncomfortable proximity and intense breathing that added to the tension were largely his own choices in the moment.

"I don’t think they told us that. We just did that. I just did what I thought felt natural."

Looking back, Heidenreich believes the segment achieved exactly what WWE intended by leading viewers in one direction before delivering an unexpected swerve.

"There’s no doubt it was going this way, and I swerved it, as they say."

While the segment remains controversial more than two decades later, Heidenreich believes it played a major role in keeping his character memorable long after his WWE run ended.

"It’s kind of made me infamous, more than famous. It definitely added something to my character. It definitely kept my name. It’s like you’re on YouTube, it’s like I’m still wrestling, all that stuff still on there, so it keeps you current in some way."

Heidenreich also praised Michael Cole for fully committing to the storyline despite its unusual nature.

"I could tell he was down for whatever. It’s like we’re working together. It’s a scene, and we’re building a story."

The former WWE star noted that the reaction backstage was largely positive at the time and said Vince McMahon was particularly supportive of the segment because of how believable and unsettling it felt.

"Vince loved all this stuff. I know he liked it, because it was disturbing, and it was believable."

Despite the criticism the angle has received over the years, Heidenreich has no regrets about his performance and feels he delivered exactly what was required.

"No. I think I did the best performance I could. I liked the way it ended."

He also recalled advice from Paul Heyman, who felt Heidenreich's unpredictable personality helped make the character effective because people were never entirely sure where the performance ended and reality began.

"Paul told me that everybody up there didn’t know when I was doing my gimmick. People really think you might be effing nuts. He’s like, it’s good because nobody knows what to really think of you."