15 Wrestlers Taught By Surprising Trainers
Like teacher, like student? Yes, but you might be surprised exactly how much.
With the possible exception of Kurt Angle, no one just learns to be an amazing wrestler by sheer will and talent. It's a long and arduous process, and even the best in the world started out as lowly pupils; every superstar began as a student, and every student needs a teacher.
Some teacher/student relationships are common knowledge; everyone and their mother knows that Daniel Bryan, Paul London, and Bryan Kendrick trained under Shawn Michaels, for example. Anyone lucky enough to have trained in Stu Hart's Dungeon gave the commentary team a backup talking point for every match they ever wrestled. And, of course, most second and third generation stars were shown the ropes by their parents or grandparents.
This article isn't about that. This is about wrestlers who trained under teachers who you wouldn't expect, and that unexpectedness comes in many forms. There are teachers and students on this list who are surprising because they come from very different places, and there are those whose styles are so wildly different that it's hard to see a connection. There are some who come from such different eras that you might be hard-pressed to imagine them sharing a planet, much less a training ring.
But share it they did! Read on, and perhaps you'll learn some connections that you never knew were there.
15. Tyler Breeze: Lance Storm
From NXT standout to ruefully underused fashion policeman, Tyler Breeze's strength has been his top-to-bottom integration of his gimmick into his work. He's Breezus from the moment he steps through the curtain to the moment he limps, defeated, back to the locker room. He even inhabits his character 100%, for example when he's in a WWE.com exclusive interview excitedly explaining how Pokémon Go works to a bewildered Fandango.
And yet he was trained by Lance Storm, the poster boy for letting one's ring work speak for itself. It's hard to imagine Storm stressing the importance of character work, but that's exactly what's brought Breeze to prominence. Actually, Breeze's former persona from FCW -- the scrappy white meat babyface Mike Dalton -- evinced a lot more of Storm's signature "how do you like these COMPETENT FUNDAMENTALS" influence.