Danny Cage on Rebuilding the Monster Factory and Life as a Wrestling Trainer

Fred: He’s a former professional wrestler and one of the most respected trainers in the business, the head trainer and owner of the world-famous Monster Factory in Paulsboro, New Jersey. We’re talking to Danny Cage. Danny, how’s it going?

Danny Cage: I’m loving life. I actually just stepped out from training two minutes ago, so we’re at it right now.

Fred: There’s the old saying that it takes 10 years to become an overnight success. The last few years, especially being in New York and New Jersey, I’ve heard so much about the Monster Factory, all these guys getting signed, and this guy Danny Cage dropping knowledge and hanging out with Gerald Brisco and X-Pac. But your success wasn’t immediate. What’s the story behind you getting involved with the Monster Factory and eventually becoming its owner?

Danny Cage: It goes back years. I had my first tryout in ’94, and it took me until late ’97 or early ’98 to begin training there. It wasn’t in the same building it is now. I got done wrestling around 2005, and my back was a little banged up. Around 2010 or 2011, I started helping a friend of mine with some training, Larry came around, and one thing led to another. It was me and Larry, and then I basically just bought the name, because we had no students and no ring. I got the building in Paulsboro, and when I was first in here, we had an empty building and a couple of students doing promo drills and lockups. I bought a ring and started redoing everything, and I worked on the social media, because at the time the Monster Factory had no website, no Facebook account and no network. I built all of that up over the last six years.

Nobody does it alone, and there have been a lot of people who helped me along the way, but I’m living a dream. It’s surreal to think about the contacts I’ve made. It’s also pretty funny, because there are still people who crap on me, saying I have no business doing this, I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m a hack. But the proof’s in the pudding when you see the people who come from our school, the people who listen, and how they get their foot in the door at places like Ring of Honor, Evolve, WWE and beyond.

Fred: People on the outside might say, “Who the hell is Danny Cage? He’s not Lance Storm.” You didn’t have a whole lot of matches, and you had a back injury. When did you realize you could still make a positive contribution, and that you were pretty damn good at training people?

Danny Cage: It was almost by accident. When I was training at the Monster Factory, my friends and I would always say, “If only the school was like this, if only we did that.” In my years of amateur wrestling, I’d go to camps with 50 or 60 people from around the world exchanging ideas and techniques, with different coaches flown in, and I’d think, “I would love opportunities like that.” I always wanted to do it, but it just fell into my lap when I came by to help somebody and they asked if I wanted to start helping train the guys. Then you’re like, “I’m kind of glad I got hurt, because I think I’m way better at this.”

What also made me a good coach is that I worked for a major corporation, Verizon, for 17 years. I know how the corporate structure works and what they look for, and I realized the in-ring part is a very small part of pro wrestling. I’m sure there are many better trainers in the ring than me, but there are so many other things that go into it: promos, etiquette, how you carry yourself, the connections you make, how you dress and how you answer that phone call. Everything is always a job interview for a professional wrestler, and that goes on for a very long time. Too many people think all they need to do is put on a match or hit a cool move. That isn’t going to get you there. You have to be the complete package, and if you think you can’t be replaced, trust me, they’ll put it on somebody else who can do it better than you and has a better attitude than you.

Fred: In your defense, Dutch Mantell, a mentor of mine in the business, once wrote in one of his books that he looks at wrestling trainers like baseball managers. Some of the most successful managers didn’t play a whole lot, but they watched the greats, picked up on it and passed it along. I feel like that’s the same with you. And it’s not just you training people. You bring in guys from all over the country, like Gerald Brisco, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, Kevin Kelly and Bill DeMott. How did you link up with all these guys and form the super camps?

Danny Cage: It all started when I reached out to Gerry Brisco on Twitter. One of our guys was friends with Bob Evans, and Bob turned me on to Kevin Kelly, who I met at a Ring of Honor show. Then I went to Rip Rogers. One of our students was down at NXT, and as soon as Bill was let go, he gave me Bill DeMott’s contact information, and we just started interchanging. Now I’m going to bring in Tom Prichard, who I’ve known for a long time. We’ve coached side by side at other camps, including one in North Carolina years ago. I really want to get Al Snow in here, too. It’s just networking, getting around like-minded people who want to help people get better. Our guys are getting bookings in New Jersey, Texas, Canada and other places just by being around these people and exchanging ideas. People invest in themselves, and that’s what wrestling should be about.

Fred: It’s funny that you reached Gerald Brisco, one of the all-time great pro wrestlers and a great scout, through Twitter. You wouldn’t think he’s that social media savvy, and you’ve been friends ever since.

Danny Cage: I knew he was into amateur wrestling, and so was I, so I’d see what he was talking about on Twitter and comment. He didn’t know who I was, and next thing you know, he followed me. I messaged him and asked what it would take to get him to the Monster Factory, and he said, “Here’s my cell. Call me.” We talked for a while, and back in 2012 he came in. Next thing you know, he’s saying everything I always say to the kids, and now they’re starting to believe me, like, “Oh my God, Danny does know what he’s talking about. Here’s a WWE Hall of Famer saying it.” X-Pac found us for the last year, too. I had never really talked to him before, and he took a liking to one of our students, who’s now Steve Cutler at NXT.

Fred: Was that the validation you needed after leaving the corporate world to go all in with the Monster Factory?

Danny Cage: That was really cool. Another cool thing was Stone Cold calling me up to get me on his show and basically letting me plug my wrestling school for the entire hour, all because he was up all night watching our training videos on YouTube. We were only casual friends. We’d message and talk on the phone every once in a while, but out of nowhere he called and asked if I wanted to do the show, and we did it five minutes later. I had no warning. Validation is what it’s about. I don’t need anybody to tell me what to do, but I need to know I’m doing the right thing, and I assume these people would call me out if I wasn’t.

Fred: One Monster Factory alum is Punishment Martinez, a big man doing his thing in Ring of Honor. Talk about 10 years to become an overnight success. He’s in his mid-30s, and all of a sudden he’s in the prime of his career. Last year, he challenged Hirooki Goto for the NEVER Openweight Championship in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Doesn’t he define what the Monster Factory is all about?

Danny Cage: He put in the work, and he continues to put in the work. He just wrestled Dalton Castle for the Ring of Honor World Championship in Nashville. He’s doing everything the right way. He was in tonight, helping get one of our students ready for a WWE tryout while I was putting the class through things. He’s one of my best friends in and out of the business.

Fred: Other Monster Factory folks we’ve had on the show include current ROH announcer Ian Riccaboni, who’s doing an excellent job, and Leon St. Giovanni, who I went to college with. And of course, Gabby Ortiz, who trains at the Monster Factory by night and just did a tour of Stardom. She’s been in the business only a couple of years, and she’s already gotten some pretty decent gigs.

Danny Cage: She came here, had to take a break for a little bit, came back and was doing all the right things, though there were times I’d have to get on her about working out more and being focused on wrestling. This is why I laugh when people say we don’t let our people do anything. We had a show where she was supposed to be the announcer, but an opportunity came up to get a look from Stardom at the Ring of Honor dojo, so I said, “Go do it.” Right away, I heard they were really interested in her, so I told her to stay the whole night. Then Delirious hit me up and said, “Hey, I’m really sorry, is it OK?” I said, “Keep her. She’s yours tonight.” I told her, “You got the opportunity, you’re in the right place at the right time, so go kill it and make sure people don’t say, ‘See, I told you she didn’t deserve it.'” I’m happy with her progress, but there’s still more she could be doing. I’m never satisfied.

Fred: That’s what a good coach does. Is there anybody else on your radar we should be on the lookout for?

Danny Cage: Nick Comoroto. He’s a big stud, and he had his WWE tryout. He should be signed right now. He’s got everything. Another is the kid I had my last match with in December. He’s only 22, and I have never seen somebody with a better understanding and delivery of promos and character, and he has a great presence in the ring. He needs a little more seasoning and a little more seriousness in the gym to get that pro wrestler look, but he’s a big kid, and in the next two years, he could be somebody you see at NXT. If he does everything I think he’s going to do, he could be one of the best success stories of the Monster Factory. That’s how highly I think of him.

Fred: As a trainer, what’s the most consistently annoying thing you see from trainees?

Danny Cage: There are probably three or four things. First, and it’s not their fault, they weren’t expecting wrestling to be as hard as it is. That’s just bad expectations. Second is not being coachable. If you’re coachable, you listen, you follow instructions and you respect your coach, and everything falls under that. Third, too many people let other people get in their heads. They do a show, and somebody says, “You’re so great. Why are you just training at the Monster Factory? Forget training, you should be on the road.” That’s one of the biggest downfalls, because if all you do is wrestle, you’re not going to get better. The Philadelphia Eagles got so good because they trained every week. They didn’t say, “We’ve got 16 games this year, so we can take training off.” Training is how you get crisp in the ring. Last, people are impatient or think there’s always tomorrow. “I’ll start eating right next week.” That’s the biggest thing.

The most frustrating thing is people who forget where they came from: people I gave breaks to, looked out for and made phone calls for, who never look back and say thank you publicly or privately, or even return a phone call. But even if I only had two positive experiences, they’d far outshine all the negative. If I dwelled on the negative stuff, I would never get out of bed and open the doors.

Fred: Has a student ever taught you something?

Danny Cage: I learn every single day from these kids. Whenever something goes wrong, I never think it’s their fault. I first ask, “Why would they feel that way, and how can I fix it?” I let the kids give me feedback. There are people who are terrified of me when they train here, and I’m like, “Have I ever yelled at you? Aren’t I the one who gave you breaks on tuition and texted you to ask how everything was going?” I’m not an animal. I’m just very strict. I’m a coach first and your friend last. You didn’t hire me to be your friend. You hired me to try to get you a job in professional wrestling. I’m not here to hold your hand, high-five you and tell you everything’s OK. I’m here to get you to that next level.

Fred: Wrestlers today come in all shapes and sizes. How do you adjust for a student who’s different from the norm, maybe without the same cardio or the ability to take certain bumps?

Danny Cage: It works itself out, because we don’t have a beginner course or an advanced course. Everybody trains together. We tell them there will be times when you’re beat up and about to puke, but work through it and you’ll be fine. We don’t get down on them or get mad at them. The hardest part is showing up. If you show up every week and give me effort, I’m not going to give you a hard time.

Fred: Who drew you into wrestling?

Danny Cage: I was watching Sgt. Slaughter vs. the Iron Sheik in a boot camp match, I believe in ’83. That was my first experience of wrestling, and after that I started getting pro wrestling magazines, ordering all the back issues of Pro Wrestling Illustrated and getting videotapes. Anything to do with pro wrestling, I would get, and I’d read and research. My entire life has been pro wrestling from about age 12 until now.

Fred: What was your wife’s reaction when you said, “Honey, I’m going to leave this cushy corporate job to do this wrestling thing full time”?

Danny Cage: She said, “Are you sure?” I said yes. She said, “You think you can do it?” I said yeah, and she said OK. That was exactly the talk. She understands completely, though there are times she gets frustrated, because when you own your own business, sometimes the bills are good and sometimes they’re not. You take the good with the bad. I haven’t taken a vacation in probably a decade. It’s always work. Even when I have downtime, I’m on social media, creating a flyer, editing a video or emailing customers who came to our shows to say thank you, here are some tickets, what’s your T-shirt size. Little things that don’t cost me money but will probably get me a lot more customers.

Fred: Before we go, what’s the best piece of advice you can give everybody watching right now?

Danny Cage: If you start to train, forget everything you think you know about pro wrestling, because it’s nothing like you think it is. The hardest part will be showing up, and every day it’s going to get harder to get up and show up. Even when you love it, it’s torture. But keep pushing, because sooner or later you get over that hump, and it’s the greatest payoff in the world.

Fred: The floor is yours to plug the Monster Factory and where fans can find you online.

Danny Cage: Head over to YouTube and punch in Monster Factory Pro TV. We have tons of content there, and if Stone Cold Steve Austin is up spending 12 hours a night watching our stuff, you should too. We also have our own network with exclusive training videos, and monsterfactory.org has all our news. I handle all the websites and social media myself, so when people say they don’t have enough time to do things, I say, “I’m 44 years old with a wife, two kids, a mortgage, two vehicles and a business to run. Find the time.”