St. Augustine, Fla. – Whether you’re a Division I college football star or just a person who watches pro wrestling on television, getting into the industry is not as simple as just showing up. You need training. From taking a punch or bodyslam to giving one, training is key to avoid injury and do it well.
In late January, Sam Shaw (who WWE fans know as Dexter Lumis) opened Hatchet Pro Wrestling in St. Augustine.
His two coaches at the school are also wrestling legends in their own right: John Davis and Tom Latimer.
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Davis is a Northeast Florida wrestling legend with more than 20 years experience in Ring of Honor (ROH), Evolve Wrestling the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and other promotions.
“It is not for everybody. There’s a job for everybody but this part is not for everybody,” said Davis. He’s pointing out that there are a lot more jobs in pro wrestling than simply wrestler. There are referees, announcers, managers, backstage hands, producers, etc. The school can help students learn what’s best for them. “There’s a lot of other jobs but if this is what you want to do it’s best to learn what everybody else learns. You come in here athletic background or not. We’re gonna’ push you.”
Latimer is originally from the United Kingdom and has wrestled in WWE, Total Nonstop Action (TNA), NWA and other promotions.
“It takes time. You don’t step into the ring and within a week you’re ready for TV,” said Latimer. “I think that a lot of people see it on TV and presume that it’s easy because we make it look easy.”
Latimer said that’s because of the training at schools like theirs. As opposed to boxing or UFC, wrestlers aren’t really able to look winded at the end of matches because of the theatric nature of wrestling. So they need intense training. “Ten, twenty minutes into a match you’ve got to look like it’s no big deal. So I understand there’s a level of that but really we need to make sure everybody is fit,” said Latimer.
The school is located just north of the Old City in St. Augustine at 50 Ellis St, Suite 203. They can be contacted at: info@hatchetprowrestling.com