To go from a small wrestling dojo to the Performance Center was just mind-blowing. The sheer scale - I didn't think anything like that could possibly exist.
When I got a little older, like, 10 or 11, my dad would run a training school every month, teaching people how to become wrestlers. I would get in the ring now and again and mess around with one of my brothers, and he'd teach me some stuff.
When I started wrestling, I started only to get in shape. I found out that a wrestling school had opened in Ireland, and I wanted to go because I was hanging out with the wrong crowd and I wanted to turn my life around.
At 15, I refereed my first match, and I was training at my dad's school even prior to that, so the only thing that I was concerned about - I guess the only thing that made me reluctant and was the reason I was in L.A. and the reason I went to acting school - was I thought maybe I wasn't big enough - physically big enough - to compete with WWE.
When I wasn't wrestling, I got back into school a little bit. In Dallas, there was VIP Wrestling, and in Atlanta, AR Fox has a great school, so it's good to get back in there and continue to learn.
If you're an outsider, you don't know how to get signed by the WWE. It's not like football where you can sign up and segue your way in. You've got to know somebody.
After being signed by WWE, Edge, Christian, Mark Henry, Giant Silva, Test and Ken Shamrock all trained at my house. I had a pool room with an indoor pool and a garden behind it. I took out the garden and put in a wrestling ring.
Dave Taylor, who was my tag partner in WWE, had a wrestling school close to where we both lived in Georgia for a while.
Back in 2004 I trained at an independent wrestling school and performed in front of crowds of around 200, then I got signed to a contract with the WWE to continue my development.
I started training when I was a senior in high school. I trained at the Combat Zone Wrestling Academy in South Philadelphia.
My brother was going to go to England to wrestle, but then we found out they were opening a wrestling school in Bray, County Wicklow. I thought, 'I'll go along and try that.'
I went to a wrestling school in Canada. That did not work out well, I think I was out there for like a week.
As soon as I found out there was a school you could go to to become a WWE superstar, I was immediately hooked.
All the time I was in college, I was going to wrestling school on the weekends.
When you are as big and strong as Strowman, WWE notices you and basically pays you to go to school. He was paid to train, has a guaranteed contract, and gets paid whether he wrestles or not. He couldn't survive in the actual wrestling business. He never had to pay his dues.
I started out with Buzz Sawyer in Sacramento. He had me shoot on guys and beat them up. They tossed me a few bones here and there. But, after Buzz passed away, I started seeking training elsewhere.
He mighta spent a couple years under the arena training young wrestlers.
Stu Hart trained all his kids--only three of them use the litter box.
After I stop wrestling, my dream is to open a wrestling academy, train students and produce more Geetas and Babitas!
I would love to see TNA get a developmental program.
The Performance Center in Orlando is the best place to go if you want to be a professional wrestler.
I trained under Bill DeMott. I did a lot of my promo work with Dusty Rhodes.
The WWE has a great school in Orlando and most of the trainers are of my upbringing.
I run my wrestling school, SyDojo, I do independent wrestling events all over the world.
