The Top 10 Professional Wrestling Schools

If you want to be successful in most careers, you have to go to school to learn your trade. Wrestling is no different. The ten schools that made this list have a few things in common. They have a track record of getting their students on TV. They are run by someone who knows the sport. Finally, and most importantly, when you graduate from one of these schools, you are automatically on the radar of the talent scouts of the major wrestling companies.

Can-Am Wrestling School

Rhino wrestler
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This school, run by Scott D'Amore, is located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, right across the border from Detroit, Michigan. D'Amore is most famous for being the manager of Team Canada in TNA and a road agent for the company. Some of the wrestlers to graduate from this school include former TNA Champion Rhino, the Motor City Machine Guns, and Petey Williams. The school was featured on an episode of the MTV show "Made."

Funking Conservatory Wrestling School

Wrestle Mania XX
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This school is run by former NWA World Champion Dory Funk Jr. and is located in Ocala, Florida. Some of the wrestlers who have passed through it during their training include Kurt Angle, Edge, Lita, Mickie James, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, and Ted DiBiase. Johnny Ace, the current head of talent relations for the WWE, is listed as a beneficiary of the Dory Funk Method of Pro Wrestling along with Giant Baba, Antonio Inoki, and Ric Flair.

Harley Race Wrestling Academy

Professional Wrestling School
Mike (right) and Teddy DiBiase Jr. during their first professional fight against Angelo for the World League Wrestling on July 8, 2006 in Eldon, Missouri. They trained at the Harley Race Wrestling Academy. Harley Race's legendary wrestling career spanned nearly four decades. During that time Race won eight NWA World Championships, managed two wrestlers to the WCW World Championship and was involved in operating the NWA territories in Kansas City and St. Louis. Mike and Teddy DiBiase Jr. are the sons of world famous Ted DiBiase, better known as The Million Dollar Man in the wrestling world. Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

No wrestler has a better in-ring resume than Harley Race. One of the best things about his school is that legendary wrestling families have chosen it for carrying on the family tradition. If this school is good enough for third-generation wrestling dynasties like the Hennig and DiBiase families, it is good enough for you. The school is located in Eldon, Missouri.

Johnny Rodz School of Wrestling

WWE RAW SummerSlam - August 4, 2006
Matt Striker shows the strain during the WWE RAW Summerslam event at the Acer Arena, Homebush Stadium in Sydney, Australia on August 4, 2006. WireImage / Getty Images

This school is run by WWE Hall of Famer Johnny Rodz. Unlike anyone else in the WWE Hall of Fame, Rodz is more famous for creating wrestling legends than for being a huge main event star. Alumni of this school include the Dudleys, Tazz, Tommy Dreamer, Bill DeMott, and Matt Striker. The school is located inside of Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, New York.

Killer Kowalski's Pro Wrestling School

Referee Warning Wladek 'Killer' Kowalski on Wrestling
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The most famous wrestlers to come out of Killer Kowalski's Pro Wrestling School are Triple H, Chyna, Perry Saturn, and A-Train. The school is located in North Andover, Massachusetts.

NXT

2015 Monster Energy Aftershock Festival
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There are hundreds of wrestling schools out there, but this one can make a claim that no other wrestling school can. It is the only official developmental territory of the WWE.

Ohio Valley Wrestling

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Located in Louisville, Kentucky, Ohio Valley Wrestling was a former developmental territory of the WWE. The wrestlers who have passed through its doors are a who's who of the business. John Cena, Randy Orton, and Batista are just a few of the wrestlers who trained here before entering the WWE. The school is run by Danny Davis, who was one-half of the Nightmares. In 2011, the school became the official training and developmental facility for TNA’s current and future stars.

Ring of Honor Wrestling School

Two wrestlers begin a Ring of Honor bout.

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Ring of Honor is currently the number three promotion in the United States. Talent scouts from the WWE and TNA closely watch what its students do. Ring of Honor has also opened a wrestling school in Bristol, Pennsylvania. The head trainer at the school is Ring of Honor star Delirious.

The Monster Factory

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The Monster Factory was featured in a 1986 Sports Illustrated article. The school, run by Larry Sharpe, has had an impressive list of wrestlers come out of it. Some of the bigger stars to graduate from the school are the Big Show, Bam Bam Bigelow, Raven, D-Lo Brown, Balls Mahoney, Chris Candido, Sunny, Kama (The Godfather), King Kong Bundy, and Sonjay Dutt. The school is located in Bellmawr, New Jersey.

The Wild Samoan Training Center

WrestleMania 23
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Just the members of the Wild Samoan Family tree that have passed through this school would make an impressive list, but the Anoa'i family has also trained people outside of the family. The school's most famous graduate is Batista, a wrestler who was turned down by the now-defunct WCW Power Plant. Other graduates who got their start here include Snitsky, Billy Kidman, and Chris Canyon. A few TNA stars that passed through the school later on in their development include Traci Brooks, Gail Kim, ODB, Velvet Sky, Homicide, Eric Young, and Jay Lethal. The school is located in Minneola, Florida.