Safety in Professional Wrestling

Little Wahoo McDaniel (Coming in July to the Funking Conservatory Teenage Program)

News has just been released about another serious  injury in professional wrestling.

It wasn't supposed to be that way. When I first told my father, Dory Funk Sr. that I
wanted to become a professional wrestler among other things, he told me Pro-
wrestling would give me a healthy way of life and a well conditioned body that
would keep me physically active throughout my life.

Our assistant trainer here at the Funking Conservatory Adam Windsor has been with
our program for almost four years. I asked him to put together some questions that
prospective students and/or parents of pro-wrestling students should be asking.
Following is the response from Adam Windsor:

Safety in Professional Wrestling
By The Royal Stud, Adam Windsor

Whether you are somebody that wants to become a professional wrestler, somebody
that is a professional wrestler and wants to develop their skills even further, or even a parent
who has a teenager that wants to attend a pro-wrestling school, what are the most important
questions that you should be asking yourself, and for that matter.......... What are the answers?

The Funking Conservatory is now coming into its 4th year of being in operation in Ocala Florida,
and was in operation for one and a half years before that in Stanford Connecticut for the WWE.

So what are the questions that you should be asking yourselves?......
And maybe more importantly, what are the answers?

In regard to the Funking Conservatory

1) How long has the training program been in existence?

The Funking Conservatory training program is Dory's personal training program. It has
been in existence for more than thirty years, beginning as a training program for All Japan
Pro-wrestling in 1972 when Dory Funk Sr. and Giant Baba first organized All Japan
Pro-wrestling. Dory himself began wrestling as an amateur at the age of seven years old.

2) Do they have a safety program?

They have a complete safety program, which means that every move performed is done and
completed under the highest supervision.

3) Who are the trainers?

Dory Funk Jr. and Adam Windsor (Only certified trainers at the Funking Conservatory).

4) How much experience have the trainers had in the wrestling business?

Dory Funk Jr. is the longest reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion in history. He
has drawn more money than most pro-wrestlers in the history of the sport, and has been
teaching pro wrestling now for numerous years. He has so many credentials that they are
too long to list here. (Type in a search on his name  in a search engine, and you can find
anything you want about him).

As Dory Funk Jr.'s Assistant and Protégé, I have been studying under Dory for the past
four years. I have had well over 800 matches and have worked for WWE, WCW and
New Japan Pro-Wrestling as well as other organizations.

5) How many serious injuries have occurred at the Wrestling School/Operation since its
been open?

Absolutely ZERO. Of course as in any sport there will be, bumps, bruises,
pulled muscles etc.. but there have been no serious injuries.

6) How many students have actually gone on to become stars in the wrestling business?

Many. To mention just a few, Kurt Angle, Edge, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Test, Rikishi,
Lita, Rhyno, Christian, Steve Corino, Val Venis, Crash Holly, Sylvan Granier of "La
Resistance" Brent Dail of WWC, The Million Dollar Man, Ted Dibiase, Bob Chuck
of Big Japan and many more.

7) Do the wrestlers get to perform in front of a live audience?

Yes they do, every week. The Funking Conservatory feels that the best way to get better
and better is to work/wrestle in front of people, that is why they produce a live house show
every week, and also one big live TV Taping once a month.

8) Is the place that the wrestlers learn to wrestle in in someone's backyard, or in the back
of a falling down warehouse?

No, The Funking Conservatory has a fully equipped television style studio where the wrestlers
learn to work. It is fully air conditioned, it is always kept clean and it is in a prestigious area
in the city of Ocala. It is approximately one hour from Orlando.

Professional Wrestling as with any sport, performed under the wrong conditions can be
devastating. Many injuries can occur, and many things can go wrong. The Funking Conservatory
is a secure, family orientated environment which puts safety at its number one goal.

The Funking Conservatory truly believes that nobody, not one person should ever be seriously
hurt in this sport and that is why its injury rate is practically zero.

Professional wrestling should be what Dory told me when I first met him, fun, safe and an
excellent aerobic exercise that in itself should give you a healthy body and clean living life
style.

For information on The Funking Conservatory you can call - 352-895-4658
E-mail Dory Funk Jr.
Visit Dory's Home Page

!BANG! is now a weekly house show.