Introduction
The first thing that comes up when you look into wrestling training is that it’s extremely hard. Yet no matter how much people tell you that, you never really understand what they mean, until you start. Wrestling training not only tests your physical strength but your psychological fortitude also. You start off with this crazy dream in your head, but after eight or so hours one questions ‘Do I really want to do this?’.
If you’re really committed your answer will be ‘hell yeah!’ But I think there’s nothing wrong with questioning whether you want to continue or not. The biggest show of determination is facing the question, and then perceiving.
Hustle
Like I mentioned before, wrestling training is no walk in the park. Watching the likes of AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, and Charlotte Flair makes it all seem too easy. The polish they have in the ring boils down to the dedication of these individuals. Even the likes of Roman Reigns who ‘no sell’ in reality their bodies are killing them.
The sheer resolve you need when it comes to training has to be immense. You’re put through the ringer, and the coaches at Progress are not afraid to come down hard on you. One tiny mistake and you’ve got to restart a drill. Precision is literally beat into you. Even when stretching you’re pushed to get the stretch right, or you run the risk of having to restart.
Furthermore, despite how tiring the training is, you still need to put in the hard work to better yourself outside of training. This means hitting the gym hard during the week, to improve fitness and strength. On a personal note, I’ve had to improve my own confidence, which is hard work in its own right, to get in a position where I can perform at my best during training. Whether it be building the confidence to work with those who seem to be excelling or the basic storytelling work I’ve been exposed to.
You’ve got to Hustle hard if you want to succeed.
Loyalty
This is the concept of being loyal to your fellow wrestlers, as well as the promotion.
Being loyal to your fellow workers is giving it your level best every time. No one wants to train and work with someone who isn’t giving it their all. It’s just annoying. If you’re enthusiastic and ready and raring to go, the likelihood is that both yourself and your partner will learn a lot more.
If you’re lazy and loose when it comes to chain wrestling, it’s not the same feeling. It’s easy to tell when someone isn’t giving it their all, everything looks sloppy. Personally, when others are being sloppy in the ring or on the mats, it puts me off. This person is in this amazing place and they don’t really seem to care? As The Hurricane would say “What’s Up With That?”
Staying loyal to the promotion doesn’t mean you can only watch Progress and ignore all other wrestling. It means you see value in the brand. When you talk about the PROJO, you don’t slag it off (not that there’s anything I’ve found to complain about.) When you describe the training you don’t pass it off as ‘yeah not quite WWE’. Loyalty to the promotion and the PROJO instills a positive vibe about the training within yourself. This helps you stay loyal to the other trainees because if you want to be training it shows in your performance.
Respect
This is pretty obvious, but you’ve got to respect the art of wrestling if you want to get anywhere. The coaches are the PROJO are either retired or active wrestlers. Some the developmental guys are younger than me and are helping coach the classed. You need to respect what they and what they tell you to do. That doesn’t mean blindly follow what they say, or if they are being extra tough on you, doesn’t mean you cower away.
It means that before questioning them, before having a standoff (this is hypothetical by the way) you stop and consider that these guys know what they’re talking about. You have to respect the effort these guys went through to get to a point where they’re potentially training the next Pete Dunne.
It also means you respect the level of commitment you need to give to the training. Like mentioned in the ‘Hustle’ section, you’ve got to work hard outside of training. It’s fine and dandy to go to the PROJO once a week, but if you’re not going to put in the hours at the gym, then don’t bother training. It means you don’t respect the craft. For example, Goldberg is a fifty-year-old man, and he put in the time to be able to get back in the ring, after already having a legendary career. If an individual still in their prime can’t hit the gym to better themselves, they’re never going to succeed.
Conclusion
John Cena’s ‘Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect’ is often mocked by smarks as cheesy and pandering. Yet if you look at it in the context of becoming a wrestler. You need to hustle hard to make progress; you’ve got to be loyal to show you’re committed, and you’ve got to show respect those around you know that you’re serious.
Live by all three and I guarantee you’ll get far.
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