I wanna be a wrestler

[Samoa Kenny]

I wanna be a wrestler more than anything. Just this week. I don't know what it is, but it's all I've been thinking about. I have a full time 9-5 desk job, I'm in bad shape, but something just keeps telling me I should do it... I've never broken a bone in my life, and I don't know if I could handle it..

Just venting, It's been making me crazy

[Overly large testicles]

You want to be a wrestler, but only for this week?

[Samoa Kenny]

No, its just this week that the desire has like.. hit me

[Lair of the Shadow MaDaBa]

I've wanted to be a wrestler since the day I was born.

You poser.

[strykerdarksilence]

Go for it bro. Check out the local schools and see what they can offer. Learn to sell and bump and see what local bookings come your way. Even if it's only a weekend thing, you can still say you're a part of the business.

Cardio is more important than physical look on the independent circuit, so just build your endurance with sprint and circuit training and doing some regular lifting.

It wasn't always good, but I loved my time as a wrestler.

[American Nightmare]

Nov 4, 2008 20:27:22 GMT -5 @strykerdarksilence said:

Go for it bro. Check out the local schools and see what they can offer. Learn to sell and bump and see what local bookings come your way. Even if it's only a weekend thing, you can still say you're a part of the business.

Cardio is more important than physical look on the independent circuit, so just build your endurance with sprint and circuit training and doing some regular lifting.

It wasn't always good, but I loved my time as a wrestler.

In all honesty, indy companies usually have really bad training that is kinda detrimental to your quest to be a wrestler. In my traveling of many companies, i have always seen in house training for most companies as terrible, and most of the time, they are dead wrong on what they teach. Try and find a reputable trainer over everything. Going to Indy's, you might be able to talk to someone about that. But i cant stress enough that u shouldnt just get training from any old company or person

[Lair of the Shadow MaDaBa]

In my current job, after my standard probationary period (first six months on the job) is done, I will request (and hope to receive) a transfer to Philadelphia, where all the good schools are. That way, I go to school while simultaneously staying employed, keeping some cash flow in for tuition and such.

I plan to start out at the CHIKARA Wrestle Factory; from what I've heard, that school is ideal for beginners.

[Dr. Mantis Toboggan]

It's been in my mind for months to eventually want to do something.The only local school that I know should be reputable is Spike Dudley's school in New Bedford,MA.Considering he's one of the best bump takers in the biz,might as well learn from the best.From there,I'd love to go to Lance Storm's school in Canada.

This,of course,may get shot down by financial reasons.

[Marky Mark...Mark]

Go to Storm Wrestling Academy if you want to learn how to really work. No offense against other schools, but I'd much rather go to SWA, or Wrestlefactory than some of the lesser known people not only because of the trainer(s) but also because of their reputations.

[Mad-Mad]

I'm currently in High School right now. In my wrestling team and all that, trying to build up on my strength, cardio, and basic wrestling Technuiqe. I hope to go to Team 3D's school in Pensacola.

I idolize those guys.

Can any of you vouch for them on if its a solid place to train? I figure it be best to go with guys who are currently employed in a major promotion over guys who are retired.

[default]

The WXW school here in PA has a good reputation. A friend of a friend's dad worked for them earlier in the 90's before retiring due to a back injury. It's run by Afa, but I've heard he trains in a really intense, old school style. Batista and Kidman both went there some.

[johnnyk9]

if you live in PA,NJ or DE, you should try the school I train at The Monster Factory in South New Jersey, Although Larry is no longer the trainer, the current trainers have really good knowledge and get this it's a life time membership they won't kick you to the curb after 6 months like most schools do. www.monsterfactory.com

[strykerdarksilence]

Nov 4, 2008 21:56:21 GMT -5 American Nightmare said:

Nov 4, 2008 20:27:22 GMT -5 @strykerdarksilence said:

Go for it bro. Check out the local schools and see what they can offer. Learn to sell and bump and see what local bookings come your way. Even if it's only a weekend thing, you can still say you're a part of the business.

Cardio is more important than physical look on the independent circuit, so just build your endurance with sprint and circuit training and doing some regular lifting.

It wasn't always good, but I loved my time as a wrestler.

In all honesty, indy companies usually have really bad training that is kinda detrimental to your quest to be a wrestler. In my traveling of many companies, i have always seen in house training for most companies as terrible, and most of the time, they are dead wrong on what they teach. Try and find a reputable trainer over everything. Going to Indy's, you might be able to talk to someone about that. But i cant stress enough that u shouldnt just get training from any old company or person

Oh yeah I know that all too well bro. That's why I suggested he find out what they can offer. Sadly for ever Harley Race or Lance Storm, you have a million Joe Indies who have just left school themselves and had maybe 5 spotfests.

[Andrew is Good]

I'm thinking about heading to Lance Storm's school in Calgary, as it's a 1 hour plane ride (and well, a 6 or 7 hour drive if I dread to go down Highway 63, but I know a co-worker from Calgary so I could bum a ride from them). But, I'm in love with a girl, and I'm pursuing her, lol.

Anyway, keep in mind, Sami Callohan (sp?) who is currently making a name for himself on the indies was over 300 pounds, not in shape at all, and eventually made it. He lost weight though and got in good shape. Recently, I've been getting myself in decent shape.

I contacted Lance Storm actually, and he e-mailed me back about going to the school. I told him I never participated in sports before (though my work is hard labour as I'm a scaffolder), and he said that it's important to have an athletic background because I would become a professional athlete, and while it's not necessarily needed, it would be a big help in getting there and making it. So, that made me feel kinda weary, but again, if you have the drive and the passion, it's possible. Just get your wind up, work out, get in shape, and do it.

As well, for me, and this is something like, I don't want to degrade other wrestlers who got in the business, but Delirious is like, a 6 or 7 year pro, and he's training people. So, after that long a time, he knows everything there is to know about being a pro wrestler? Joey Matthews didn't catch on to proper psychology until he was 9 years in the business, and Jerry Lynn after 20 says he learns something new all the time. Hell, Dory Funk Jr. said that the moment you stop learning about anything in wrestling is the day you retire. So how the hell can Delirious teach anybody after 6 or 7 years.

Same with other random indy guys who run schools. Find a school that's close to you, but don't find just any school because it's a school. The business is lacking a lot of workers, and if you know that it's more important to be a worker then a wrestler, you will jump over so many people to get to where you want to go, because now in the business is the time where people understand that the least.

It is also important to note that Triple H did not have an athletic background before coming into pro wrestling (from what I'm to understand). Kurt Angle in his shoot was saying how Triple H wasn't really a great athlete, but he's a great ring general.

["Addicted to Love" Haj]

I'm looking to get into wrestling somehow but because I live in the south west of the UK, anything wrestling related is hard to come by, even wrestling fans are few and far between. So as soon as I pass my driving test I'm looking at going to the old WCW Power Plant, now called WWA4 in Atlanta (http://www.wwa4.com). It's very affordable (990dollars for 2years training) and looks like a stable place to start my training. They have a motel that is for the wrestlers and the trainers look like they care about their students. They also have a pretty good track record if you take a look at their website, though I'm pretty sure that most of their famous graduates got their training from Pez Whatley and The Sarge when the Power Plant was still open. FCW wrestler Heath Miller is a recent graduate
.
Still, it looks like my best option at the moment, unless a miracle happens and a mulitmillion Pound wrestling training complex opens next door..

[Deleted]

I'm still in two minds about whether or not I want to wrestle. On the one hand, I love it, and without trying to be cocky, I've been watching it intently for 10 years, I know more about psychology than most of the local guys in my area. On the other hand, I'm not in great physical shape - my knees are shot, I've got a bad ankle, a bum shoulder, and my neck and back have been screwed up for years. Not to mention I'm terribly unfit and still carrying a lot of excess weight, but the second my current leg injury ( ) heals, I'll get back to working on that.

The school I'd be going to leaves me in two minds as well. There are two head trainers, one of whom has over a decade of experience and has been training for quite a while, and helped to train Drew Galloway. The other one has only been wrestling for about 4 years, but I'm good friends with him, and I know he's got a good head for the business. Their trainees are mixed as well, with a few looking really good and a few not so.

I've got no way of living the dream at the moment anyway, given that I've got no money and no car to get the school. But hell, I've just turned 20, I've got my best years ahead of me, and if I wanna go out and do it, I still can. But I've had my phases of really wanting to do it, not wanting to, and right now where I'm completely split. Make sure you know what you're getting into if you decide to do it.

I've got so many gimmick ideas I could probably play about 4 or 5 different characters in different promotions as well. Being a legit 6'3" and (currently) 270lbs means that I'd probably get booked as a 6'6", 300lb monster in most places though

[buck316]

Nov 5, 2008 11:21:16 GMT -5 @aaronmaiden said:

Being a legit 6'3" and (currently) 270lbs means that I'd probably get booked as a 6'6", 300lb monster in most places though

I wouldn't be so sure about that monster thing... in the ECPW training school here in Jersey, one student who beats your measurements soundly, is going to start working as a cop in two weeks (and by work I mean wrestle). Though as you said, that could be the minority though.

Injuries be damned; don't give up on trying to be a wrestler. If you are hurt currently and you see it as a setback; or even if you get hurt in the ring, the satisfaction of overcoming it greatly outweighs the original pain. Two months into my training, the trainer Gino Caruso had the boys in the ring actually wrestling, hold for hold, collegiate-style, in (3) 1-minute periods. He matched us by weight class and the heavyweights went last, which by far includes me (6'2" 240 lbs-last I checked). At the very end of the last period, we were in a standing position, with my opponent waist-locking me from behind. He popped his hips and dropped me to my right, landing square on my shoulder. I heard a pretty nice crunch (go listen to your Rice Krispies, kids; if you hear that noise coming from your shoulder, it isn't good).

I couldn't take my arm from my side that entire night. Moving it at all was out of the question. That night, I strapped it to my side with an Ace bandage and slept with a pillow wedged underneath the arm. Once the initial pain wore down, I tested the shoulder and found I couldn't even lift a gallon of milk past shoulder height. I had to take a full month and a half, 2 months off, all without going to see a doctor. Once I did, I found that I had reaggrivated a shoulder injury from when I was a kid, where I separated two bones in my shoulder and with this wrestling, I reseparated them.

The injury fully 'healed' about 4 months later, where I could lift my shoulder with no pain, but there's still a little 'clip' in my shoulder where the separation was.

Even with an injury like that, which basically affected me this entire year, I stuck with it and went back when I could. And my reward is on Friday the 21st where I finally make my debut. Sitting at the keyboard at work typing this, I can't explain how nervous and excited I am.

Don't read that as me putting myself over or anything; rather, just telling you that injuries aren't the end of the world and once you come back from them, you'll just be that much more pumped to get out there.



PS - I sounded like a total mark for myself there... I feel dirty now.

[Jay Peas 42]

The two cheapest things appear to be proper conditioning and some kind of actor and speaker training.

[Deleted]

I've always wanted to be a wrestler anyone know any good schools in Florida?

[NOwave]

A few suggestions:

1) If you aren't at least 6'0" and 200lbs, it will be very difficult to make anything other than local weekend gigs. The rule of thumb is still the bigger the better. I was 6'5" and about 250 when I worked for the Memphis promotion in the 1970's, huge for that time, about average in the WWE or TNA now. (unfortunately, I'm about 6'5" and 300 now-and it aint muscle anymore.)

2) I agree with the other posters about the trainer. Your best shot is to develop a presonal relationship somehow with a reputable guy, and let him train you. It can be in or out of a formal "school"-that matters less than your desire and his expertise.