Anyone can be a pro-wrestler, they can get trained by some bum and then wrestle. This article will be how to become a good wrestler.
First off, you really have to want to be a wrestler. You have to want to turn pro wrestling into something you can make a career out of. If you don’t want to go to a big wrestling company and get paid to wrestle then don’t do it. If you want to impress your friends
at some crappy show on the weekend don’t do it. You have to be willing to bust your ass and sacrifice yourself and your friends and family for this dream.
You will need to find a reputable trainer, this will cost you at least $2,000 for a trainer who knows what they are talking about. There are people who will charge more or less and essentially rip you off. One tip is if your trainer has never done anything major then how can they teach you anything? Research your trainer, see where they’ve been, what they have done.
Training is the most important thing for your career. A good trainer will give you a great foundation. With that foundation you are already a step ahead of all the others who have been “trained” by bums and the muscle bound guys that can’t work. You will learn how to bump, psychology, and why you do the things you do in the ring.
After you complete your training do not be a stranger to your training gym. Go in there at least a few times a week and work out with the trainees and more seasoned guys, hone your craft, make yourself smoother, and more fluid in the ring. Always be working to make yourself better.
Get in shape. To be a star in wrestling you need a look. The base of this look is your physique. Eat right, exercise, cardio and weights. Get a tan. Do not buy your wrestling gear at Wal-Mart. Buy real ring gear, look the part, get the trunks/tights, get the boots.
You need to eat, sleep, and breathe wrestling. Study matches, become a student of the game, watch tapes of old matches. Watch anything wrestling you can. Whether it’s from the 50’s or the 90’s you can learn something. Study matches from other countries such as Mexico, Japan, and England. At first take any booking you can. Experience in the ring in front of a live crowd is where you will learn the most. Most cases you might not even get paid when you start. On the indies pay isn’t great, this is what you have to do as one form of paying your dues. Very few people actually make money in the indies. But this is where you start to climb the ladder to a real career as a wrestler.
Do not burn bridges. It’s been said before, you meet the same people on the way up as you do on the way down. You never know when you’ll need someone to help you out. Respect everyone that has come before you.
You should have the short term goal of getting booked for some of the larger indy promotions on a regular basis. Ring of Honour is one of those feds for example. More talent scouts are going to be looking at the indy feds that have made some type of name for themselves, instead of checking out matches at a flea market. Exposure is key.
Keep a notebook with all the advice you have received. Someone gives you some advice, write it down in your book.
Being a good wrestler is simple, but it takes hard work. You will get nowhere by wrestling once a month in your hometown. Be in shape, look like a wrestler instead of some guy off the street, wrestle as much as possible in front of a crowd. Then when you’re not in front of the crowd spend your time honing your craft in the gym. When you’re not doing that you should be studying matches. Again, eat, sleep, and breathe wrestling. Bust your ass and maybe one day you can make something of yourself in wrestling.
Men’s Domain note: This is the second part of our “Breaking & Entering 101” series. Check out the first part Kayfabe
