Amidst the crowds at the Gulf View Square Mall, every Tuesday and Thursday night a group of men and women meet to learn how to wrestle. The World Wrestling Network, a partnership of Professional Wrestling companies that perform around the country, established a training academy in New Port Richey where ambitious young men and women can learn how to safely wrestle and entertain audiences.
Earl Cooter, a nine-year veteran of the independent wrestling scene is the head trainer. Having experience from performing throughout the United States, as well as overseas, Cooter ensures the school teaches to a broad variety of skill sets, from newcomers just starting out to men and women already performing on shows. This is the fourth training facility Cooter oversees, yet his attention to the students is as if they were his only ones.
The trainees come in all different shapes and sizes. That is one thing Cooter emphasizes, Professional Wrestling is no longer the exclusive domain of giants.
Due to the successes of WWE run events such as the Cruiserweight Classic and 205 Live, Pro Wrestling is once again showing how smaller, athletic men and women can have an impact as well.
One such person currently in training is Thomas Tufts. Standing at 5-foot-10 and weighing 170 pounds, Tufts is more in the mold of a smaller performer. Training for around a year now, he possesses a confidence in the ring that will help him grow into a seasoned performer.
Tufts began his infatuation with Professional Wrestling like most people, as a youngster marveling at the athletic feats performed on television. Now 20 years old, Tufts is beginning to live his dream in an academy that houses many special connections.
Affiliated with bigger name independent promotions such as Evolve and Dragon Gate USA, two well respected pro wrestling companies throughout the country, perhaps the biggest connection is due to the smallest of the three, American Combat Wrestling.
ACW, one of the oldest continually running independent promotions around, houses weekly Wednesday night events at the Gulf View Event Center, where the up and coming trainees can hone their skills in front of a live audience, something that helps grow them as a performer. Without the constant performance, there is little room to grow outside of the training, which makes advancing up towards larger companies that much harder.
Evolve and Dragon Gate come with their own benefits too. These companies have had a working relationship with the WWE for quite a while now, giving them access to some of the top minds currently working in Professional Wrestling.
This also allows for special visitors to the training academy. Legends like Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat have stopped by the WWN training center. Other visitors include current and former WWE on-air talent such as Adam Rose and Jinder Mahal, as well as former world heavyweight champion and current Hollywood star Dave Bautista.
Trainee Sage Scott was glad to have the opportunity to meet such distinguished guests. Scott, a former college football player, was able to have to take his 5-foot-8 frame and turn it towards a life in the wrestling ring thanks to both his training with Cooter, as well as learning from these visitors.
“It was a great experience to meet Steamboat, to pick his brain about the ins and outs. He has a great mind for what we do and is always good to learn from,” Scott said.
Setting up for a life in Professional Wrestling is not easy, but the WWN training academy makes learning the ways of the ring an accessible goal.