Becoming a wrestler

Question
Hey, i have a huge question. I am 15 and about to be 16, sophomore in highschool. I am a huge WWE fan and i have done a little working out for basketball and thats it. I want to buy my own weight bench and work out every single day. I want to know if i am to late to trying to becoming a wrestler at age 16, and i want to know, if i am committed to being a wrestler and i am in the shape for it and the people see me as really built, how long will it take me to at least maybe once in my life to be in a dark match in the wwe?

Thank you

Answer
Hello Dillion,

Not only is it not too late, but you would be starting earlier compared to others if you work towards being a pro wrestler now.

Depending on the pro wrestling schools near you, you may be able to start training now, or when you turn 16. Alternatively, you may have to start at 18. In any case, before or during pro wrestling school, you can prepare yourself to be a pro wrestler in other ways. That does include working out. Simply bulking up does not make you a wrestler though. You need to have flexibility as well, or else you might be slower in the ring or be in greater risk of tearing tendons or having other injuries. You need to have the stamina to keep going in matches, so cardio training needs to be done as well. Also, wrestlers need to work not just on the arms, the and the abs, but the other muscles in your body as well, including the back muscles and the leg muscles, to help protect you from damage when bumping and give you more power at your disposal- of use for moves that rely less on upper body strength in particular.

In addition to this, side there are the more entertainment aspects of being a pro wrestler. Experience in drama, public speaking and/or debating can help you to perform in front of an audience, come up with your own material for promos, understand how to create and get into character and to remember lines if you cannot come up with your own material. Research or simply doing well in subjects such as English and History can help you to create and develop characters. Other subjects can help you to get part-time work, or like I.T be of aid in being able to do other duties in pro wrestling alongside wrestling, or once you've retired.

The first step to becoming a WWE Superstar is to go to a pro wrestling school, but as you can see above, you can prepare before this. Martial art, boxing or amateur wrestling experience is also an asset, time and money permitting. It is by no means necessary. Pro wrestling school may take 6 months, a year, a year an a half or two years, depending on which school you attend- as they have different course length. Pro wrestling school may last longer in other schools. After pro wrestling school, you are on the independent circuit. This is basically, working in all the minor promotions. You gain more experience, learn more and build you base of contacts- people that can help you. This might be simply by being friends, or people who can tell you about opportunities, or put in a good word for you to others. You work your way up in the promotions you work in and in time, you might either start working for bigger independent promotions, get noticed by the WWE or by other major promotions. You may spend time in multiple pro wrestling schools to further your learning and get more practice- and to increase your contacts.

Getting noticed by the WWE is the hardest part and can take the longest. If you are in the right places and are very impressive, it might take 2 or 3 years before WWE Talent Scouts are impressed by you and you get invited to a WWE Tryout. If you impress enough people there well enough, you get signed to a WWE Developmental Contract, get sent to a WWE Developmental Territory and then once you've improved further and WWE Creative have something for you, you move up to a main brand. As just about everybody in the wrestling business wants to get into the WWE, they are free to be selective in who they pick. There is no guarantee that you will get noticed by the WWE. It might be 5 or 6 years before you get noticed, or maybe when you do get noticed you don't impress enough people as so don't progress further- at that time, at least. You need to keep doing your best to reach your goal, but enjoy the journey however it turns out. You might get into a WWE dark match as part of a tryout. Alternatively, if you are a big local star, you might work on local shows in your area.

You need to have a passion for pro wrestling and a love of entertaining people. You need to not push yourself beyond your limits, but do the most you can to improve yourself. WWE look for wrestlers who get strong reactions from the crowd. You need to be an entertainer. Don't neglect that aspect in whatever persona/s you have in pro wrestling. You don't even need to be a truly great wrestler if you have the crowd in the palm of your hand. International experience helps, because WWE has a global audience. Experience in other countries shows that you can engage with a broad audience and indicates that you can handle WWE's extensive travel requirements.

After 3 years, you can send the WWE a tape:

Director of Staffing, Human Resources
WWE, Inc.
1241 East Main Street
Stamford, CT 06902

The tape should be no more than 10 minutes in length, accompanied by a resume and feature highlights/clips showing your capability and diversity, promos/interviews showing your skills as an entertainer and maybe a short full match or a segment of a match at the end. You need to be able to captivate in the first 30 seconds. You need to stand out from the crowd. You might have a segment discussing what got you into pro wrestling or whatever, showing your personality and attitude. WWE like people who are team players, can work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, are respectful, prompt, passionate, patient and always willing to do their best- including after you reach the WWE.

If you have any future questions, such as, but not limited to, what pro wrestling schools are in your region, feel free to ask.