Top 5 mentors in Pro-wrestling

In my previous article, I mentioned the role of a mentor in the upcoming and evolution of a professional wrestler. Every superstar was once a youngster, attending wrestling schools and learning the tricks of the trade from the veterans in the business. With the huge amount of risk involved in professional wrestling, the grooming and polishing of a youngster is of the utmost importance. One wrong step and the careers and lives of the others involved can be at risk, and hence, other than teaching just moves and holds, a mentor needs to explain the psychology of the business.

There are tons of schools and dojos in almost every continent for training youngsters and molding them into professional wrestlers, especially in North America and Japan. But there have been only a handful of wrestling schools and mentors who have had great success in producing the cream of the crop. These were the individuals who were/are known as some of the greatest wrestlers/mentors in the history of the business. In this article, I take a look at five such individuals who not only created some of the greatest stars, but have also contributed a lot to the industry.

William Regal

5. William Regal

At number five is one of the toughest individuals in the wrestling industry, William Regal. Regal started his career by “shoot wrestling” at circuses, challenging individuals in legit fights and winning them. William Regal is also one of the most underrated wrestlers in the history of the business, while also being a very sound technician. Although Regal never truly achieved greatness in the industry, he has given wrestling fans some of the greatest matches with the likes of Chris Benoit.

William Regal also works with the youngsters, honing their skills and craft. Being one of the best technical wrestlers, Regal has been able to polish the diamonds in the rough, and has produced some of the greatest wrestlers, most notably the “American Dragon”, Bryan Danielson a.k.a Daniel Bryan.

Killer Kowalski

4. Killer Kowalski

The legendary grappler became infamous as a ruthless villain due to various unfortunate incidents, which led to the nickname of “Killer” Kowalski. Kowalski was one of the true great heels in the industry during his time, and was notorious, at least in the eyes of the media and the fans at that time, as someone who was hell bent on hurting people. With this reputation, Kowalski soon became one of the biggest heels in professional wrestling of his time.

Kowalski later started training the younger wrestlers, with Triple H and Chyna being the most famous of the lot. Other present superstars such as Sandow, Tensai and Fandango were also products of the Killer Kowalski wrestling school.

Terry Funk

3. Terry Funk

The hardcore legend is one of the most respected and loved individuals in the history of the business. Hailing from one of the greatest wrestling families, his rivalry with Mick Foley is regarded as one of the most famous feuds in the history of the industry, and also as the bloodiest. Terry Funk is also known as the true innovator of violence, and has earned his place in the annals of professional wrestling as one of the true legends.

Terry Funk, along with his brother Dory Funk Jr. started the Funkin’ Dojo, a place to train the young and upcoming wrestlers. Some of the prominent names to have come through the dojo are Edge, Christian and Mark Henry. Terry has a unique mind, and his knowledge about the industry helped many youngsters to break into the wrestling world.

Lance Storm

2. Lance Storm

Storm was yet another individual who was exceptional in the ring, but never made it big in the industry. Like the other underrated performers who weren’t good on the mic, Storm’s career never really took off, but he is regarded as a Canadian legend and one of the best technicians in the history of professional wrestling.

Storm has played a pivotal role in grooming the independent wrestlers and helping them in developing their skills. He has been a frequent visitor to the independent promotions, and has helped a lot of people in improving their work ethic. Storm started his own school called the Storm Wrestling Academy, and has trained current wrestlers such as Mickie James and Dolph Ziggler.

Stu Hart(C) with Bret(L) and Owen Hart(R)

1. Stu Hart

The number one pick shouldn’t surprise anyone, as the legendary Stu Hart trained some of the greatest technical wrestlers in the history of professional wrestling. With Stu Hart’s “Dungeon” being one of the most famous training grounds in the history of the business, he has moulded and shaped the careers of many individuals.

Stu trained wrestlers such as Bret, Owen, Benoit, Jericho and the Dynamite Kid to name a few. Many people considered Stu’s training methods as barbaric and punishing, but those who had endured the pain learnt more about the art and craft of professional wrestling than anybody else.