The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns all got their start on the football field, not in the squared circle. Other notable stars including Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and Dolph Ziggler, started out as skilled amateur wrestlers before signing deals with WWE. Wrestlers like CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins, and The Hardy Boyz didn’t come from athletic backgrounds. Instead, they received training at private wrestling schools, then joined indy wrestling promotions and got good enough to get WWE’s attention.
While wrestlers used to look like beer-drinking bar-room brawlers, most wrestlers these days have bodybuilder muscles. It takes serious commitment to diet and exercise if you want to be in the WWE. Join a gym and consult a personal trainer if you want to get into WWE shape. Wrestler Triple H also offers a strength and conditioning workout video series you can buy commercially. [2] X Research source
Try grouping your favorite 5-10 strength workouts and do them in short, timed bursts to introduce some cardio to your strength-training routine. Do as many reps as you can with a manageable weight in 60 seconds, then give yourself 15 seconds of rest before moving to the next workout. Do all 10 exercises before taking a two minutes break, then repeat the circuit twice. Former pro wrestler “Diamond” Dallas Page leads a wrestling-themed yoga workout that’s available commercially, involving low-impact flexibility and cardio exercise. Lots of wrestlers use his method in their training.
Try grouping your favorite 5-10 strength workouts and do them in short, timed bursts to introduce some cardio to your strength-training routine. Do as many reps as you can with a manageable weight in 60 seconds, then give yourself 15 seconds of rest before moving to the next workout. Do all 10 exercises before taking a two minutes break, then repeat the circuit twice. Former pro wrestler “Diamond” Dallas Page leads a wrestling-themed yoga workout that’s available commercially, involving low-impact flexibility and cardio exercise. Lots of wrestlers use his method in their training.
Learning to tumble and take bumps will be part of your wrestling training, but you’ll be a much faster learner if you’ve got experience doing flips and learning to spot yourself. It’s an excellent way to build a foundation.
Learning to tumble and take bumps will be part of your wrestling training, but you’ll be a much faster learner if you’ve got experience doing flips and learning to spot yourself. It’s an excellent way to build a foundation.
Promos used to be improvised in the days of the Hulkster. Now, memorizing lines is a part of the routine in the WWE. If you want to be on TV, you’re going to have to learn to read a script and memorize your lines.
Lots of notable wrestling schools are run by former wrestlers. Shawn Michaels, Lance Storm, Devon and Bubba Ray Dudley, Harley Race, and Killer Kowalski all run esteemed wrestling schools in the US, from which many WWE superstars have graduated. Likewise, many indie promotions like Ring of Honor and Ohio Valley Wrestling also offer training programs. Never, under any circumstances, should you start practicing the wrestling moves you see on television, when you’re at home. Done incorrectly, those moves can be deadly.
Locking up Striking Running the ropes Chain wrestling Taking specific moves Communicating in the ring Selling other wrestlers’ moves
Contrary to popular belief, most wrestling matches aren’t actually scripted move-for-move. Lots of the bigger spots and the finish is usually planned out, but getting from point A to point B will usually be called in the ring. [3] X Research source Talk to older and more experienced wrestlers. Take every opportunity to work with them yourself if you want to learn about match pacing. Most beginners rush, going from move to move pretty quickly. Slowing down is a skill that you’ll gain with time and effort.
Good characters are usually just amplified versions of your real personality. John Cena could really freestyle rap before he became the Doctor of Thuganomics, and Chris Jericho, the Ayatollah of Rock ’n Rolla, really is the singer in a band. Character traits are sometimes called “gimmicks” in pro wrestling. Even if you’re wrestling under your regular name, you need a good gimmick or prop. Think of Bret Hart’s leather jacket and pink sunglasses, or Shawn Michaels’ sparkly chaps.
Practice talking in front of the mirror, perfecting the mannerisms and movements of your character. Become someone else and commit to as wide a range of emotions as possible. [4] X Research source Good catchphrases are important for wrestlers, but cutting an intense promo about your upcoming match is even more important. You can practice promos any time. Pick a wrestler you hate and practice talking in the mirror. Talk how you’re going to rip his head off this coming Sunday. Make it intense. Make it entertaining.
Pro wrestlers usually work as “heels” or “babyfaces. " If you’re a heel, your job is to make the crowd hate you so much they’ll pay good money to see you get a beat-down. If you’re a babyface, your job is to be sympathetic with the crowd, so they’ll want to see you do the beating. Not everyone can be a babyface. Some wrestlers do pretty much nothing but lose. When you first get started, you’ll probably be doing “jobs” for more experienced wrestlers. It’s a great opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the business. Try to keep your ego out of it.
Watch WCW’s great cruiserweight matches with Sting and Vader, as well as classics by Dean Malenko, Eddy Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio Jr. Watch Sandman, Raven, and Tommy Dreamer tear it up in the wild days of ECW. Check out NWA classics from the 70s and 80s to see Harley Race, Tully Blanchard, Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair in their prime. Watch Verne Gagne, Mad Dog Vachon, Nick Bockwinkel, and Larry Zbyszko go head to head in AWA. Lots of current and former wrestlers have podcasts, which include lots of wrestlers talking about the details of the wrestling business and telling stories. It’s a great way to learn about what it takes. Check out podcasts by Colt Cabana, Jim Ross, and Steve Austin for a good perspective on the art of pro wrestling.
Ring of Honor Dragon Force Global Force Wrestling AAA AEW NWA Pro Wrestling Guerilla Combat Zone Wrestling
In the United States, the northeast is especially friendly to pro wrestling shows and indie wrestlers. Start working the circuit in your area.
Print up and start selling your own merch at events. This is an excellent way to start coming up with some extra money, as well as to get to know other sides of the business. Think about what kind of a shirt people will be likely to buy. Then wrestle in it and sell it after the show. Make up highlight packages of your matches. Start marketing your skills and your abilities in the squared circle by compiling highlight reels of your abilities. Load these up onto YouTube, or a personal website of your own.
According to some estimates, WWE gets as many as 2000 unsolicited wrestler applications every single week. You can send video and press to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Attention: Talent Relations, 1241 East Main Street, Stamford, CT 06902. It’s very difficult to get a foot in the door this way. Another way to try out for WWE is to tryout for their reality program, called Tough Enough. The show follows wrestlers who compete for a contract with WWE. The Miz, Ryback, and Big E were all contestants on Tough Enough.
At any given time, there are roughly 70 trainees signed to NXT, 10-15 of whom are featured on the NXT programming on the WWE network. Of them, maybe 5 or so from any given group will come to the main roster. NXT has produced such wrestlers as Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Neville.
There’s no one way to be, because it’s about being different. Daniel Bryan fits nobody’s mold of what a WWE wrestler should look like or act like, but he is a huge superstar because of his “every man” style. Find yours.