Before debuting in the squared circle, every single wrestler had to undergo training. While some aspiring pros were trained by wrestlers who would become their peers and others have learned the ropes from the WWE Performance Center, there are also some who have trained under certified legends of pro wrestling. One of the most famous examples, of course, is Shawn Michaels, who trained Daniel Bryan and Brian Kendrick in their early years.
But there are also some very surprising instances of current stars who have found training under legends. This doesn’t just include American wrestlers, either -- there are great examples from Japan, Mexico, and even Canada.
10 Killer Kowalski Trained Eddie Edwards
The murderer’s row of wrestlers who trained under Killer Kowalski since include notable talent like Triple H, Perry Saturn, and Big John Studd. But it may surprise fans to find out that Kowalski also trained Eddie Edwards, who debuted in 2002 before going on to train in Pro Wrestling NOAH’s dojo in Japan. After a few years, Edwards would earn a lot of buzz on the indie scene alongside Davey Richards as The American Wolves in Ring of Honor for Impact Wrestling in 2014.
9 Tajiri Trained Kushida
As a six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, fans might assume that Kushida learned the ropes in the New Japan Dojo, as many of its stars have. But Kushida’s pro wrestling training actually started out in the early 2000s, training in pro wrestling, MMA, and the lucha libre style before eventually undergoing further training under former ECW and WWE star Yoshihiro Tajiri. Because of this mentorship, Kushida has incorporated a number of Tajiri’s signatures into his moveset including the Buzzsaw Kick and the handspring back elbow.
8 The Mountie Trained Kevin Owens
Kevin Steen (a.k.a. Kevin Owens) grew up in Quebec, and sought pro wrestling training in the area as a teenager. It may sound like an easy joke, but the future WWE Universal Champion actually learned the game from four-time WWE Tag Team Champion and former Intercontinental Champion Jacques Rogeau, also known as The Mountie.
Rogeau wasn’t the only Quebeccer who had an influence on a young Owens. Rogeau’s tag team partner, Pierre Carl Ouellet (a.k.a. PCO), also offered him crucial career advice about striking out on his own.
7 Skayde Trained Rey Fenix
Some fans may not know the name Skayde, but over time he may go down as one of the most influential luchadores in history without winning many titles or headlining major shows. Skayde famously had a hand in training myriad wrestlers, particularly Chikara stars like Chris Hero, Cesaro, Drew Gulak, UltraMantis Black, Jigsaw, and many more, as well as Dragon Gate notables like Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi, Ryo Saito, Kagetora, and more. But it may also surprise fans to know that he trained AEW, AAA, and Lucha Underground star Rey Fenix, who would certainly be at home wrestling any of those guys mentioned above.
6 Rikishi Trained Miro
While one might assume that Miro (formerly known as Rusev) was some powerlifter that WWE discovered on a European tour and shipped out to the PC, the “Bulgarian Brute” actually moved to the US in the 2000s to seek pro wrestling training. He ended up finding it at Rikishi’s Knokx Pro Wrestling Academy, where he trained under both Rikishi and Gangrel, wrestling in the SoCal pro wrestling scene as “Miroslav Makaraov” in the late 2000s before signing to WWE in 2010.
5 Mikey Whipwreck Trained Jay Lethal
These days, Jay Lethal is pretty much a legend himself, having become one of the most enduring stars of Ring of Honor, and a two-time World Champion in the process. But Lethal’s career started in his teens when he trained at the school owned by local Jersey All Pro Wrestling. The school would shutter, however, and Jay Lethal would find training from a legend of ECW: two-time World Champion Mikey Whipwreck, who also had a hand in the training of Matt Cardona, John Silver, and Tony Nese.
4 Chigusa Nagayo Trained Meiko Satomura
These days, Sendai Girls founder and NXT UK star Meiko Satomura is known not only for being the “Final Boss” of women’s wrestling, but also for producing awesome talent like DASH Chisako, Kagetsu, and even working with Sasha Banks during her brief sabbatical from WWE. But even someone as respected as Satomura started somewhere, and she got some impressive training from the one of the most popular joshi stars ever.
Known for being one-half of the tag team Crush Gals in All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling, Chigusa Nagayo started up the women’s promotion GAEA Japan in 1995, which briefly worked with WCW as part of the promotion’s abortive women’s division. As a result, Satomura had a handful of appearances on WCW television.
3 Skandor Akbar Trained Ember Moon
Hailing from Texas, Ember Moon famously attended Booker T’s wrestling school, then named Pro Wrestling Alliance (now Reality of Wrestling). Before that, however, Moon trained with a legend of the Texas wrestling scene: Skandor Akbar, who was a major heel manager for Mid-South Wrestling World Class Championship Wrestling in the 1970s and 1980s. Moon isn’t Akbar’s only famous protege, however -- he also trained fellow Texan Dustin Rhodes, but given Rhodes’ age that connection comes as less of a surprise.
2 Rey Misterio Sr. Trained Rey Horus
Known to Lucha Underground fans as Gift of the Gods Champion Dragon Azteca Jr., Ring of Honor star Rey Horus wrestled as El Hijo De Rey Misterio, as a tribute to his mentor and trainer, the original Rey Misterio, who had also trained beloved WWE star Rey Mysterio (Jr.). However, Rey Horus is actually of no known relation to the family, and only worked under that name from 2011 to 2014. Since then, Horus has found success in Lucha Underground, The Crash, and ROH.
1 Ultimo Dragon Trained Kazuchika Okada
One of the biggest stars of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the future IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada departed Japan for Mexico as a teenager to study with the legendary Ultimo Dragon in his wrestling school/promotion Toryumon. While many of Dragon’s students went on to Dragon Gate Pro-Wrestling, Okada ended up getting accepted into the NJPW Dojo, where he made his debut for the company in 2007 and eventually became the ace of the promotion in the 2010s.