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‘Monster Factory’ offers an inside look at pro wrestling’s version of an elite NCAA program

AppleTV+’s new documentary series “Monster Factory” is not a look into any ordinary professional wrestling school, but what owner and head trainer Danny Cage considers something similar to attending one of the top football programs in the country.

On March 17, AppleTV+ will debut a new series that puts a spotlight on one of the top pro wrestling schools in the United States, New Jersey-based gym Monster Factory. The school has been a staple of Northeast wrestling since it was opened by Larry Sharpe and industry legend “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers in 1983.

Related: 20 Best WWE Wrestlers of all time: From Roman Reigns to Hulk Hogan

Former wrestler Danny Cage took over the business in 2012 and has helped to further the reputation of what is a premiere training ground for prospective pro wrestlers. As Monster Factory was the starting point for current WWE stars like Matt Riddle and Damian Priest, as well as AEW personalities QT Marshall and Sonjay Dutt. These are just some of the many examples that separate this gym and its repuation from others in the business.

Monster Factory, ‘The U’ of pro wrestling

There are many wrestling schools spread across the country but not all of them have as good a track record as Monster Factory. Similar to the big four sports, making it to the top levels of the wrestling industry is extremely hard and Cage admits close to 1% of athletes actually make it from training to a worthwhile career in the business.

However, as Cage explains, attending a top school in pro wrestling is no different than young athletes aiming for top sports programs in NCAA. It increases the chance for success exponentially.

“Your odds increase if you train with us,” Cage told Sportsnaut. “And I’m not just saying that, that’s the facts. There’s a very small percentage of athletes that go on to play pro sports, but if you go to Miami University, your odds increase.”

The show “Monster Factory” goes in-depth on the lives of Cage, and several of his top prospects, including Gabby Ortiz and “Notorious Mimi.” It pulls back the curtain on the early stages of the journey to becoming a wrestling star. Some in the industry may not approve of fans getting such access, but Danny Cage believes fans should get even more access than they already do so they can really appreciate the work put in by the various individuals inside the business.

“I believe what’s holding professional wrestling back, is not pulling the curtain back. Because there’s a lot of fans that don’t suspend that disbelief because if they do, everybody’s going to go, ‘you know it’s not real right?’ But in movies and TV, everybody knows that and everybody can dive right in, but in pro wrestling, they’re trying to deceive you that it’s really real, and [wrestlers] don’t like each other and I think it’s silly. I don’t think you get to really appreciate how talented these wrestlers, these commentary people, these people doing all these jobs in wrestling are.”

– Danny Cage

Danny Cage on potential interest from WWE: ‘I got a TV show and now you’re calling me?’

While the road to success is just as difficult now as it was for previous generations, Cage believes that advances in technology and social media do give modern performers a better chance to have a worthwhile career in the industry. Especially, if wrestlers have a realistic outlook on their career and realize success can be had outside top promotions like WWE and AEW.

“Is your definition of making it going to WWE or AEW? Okay, but here’s the thing, I didn’t go there. Did I make it? I’ve been making a living off of pro wrestling for the last decade or so. I didn’t go to AEW or WWE. I didn’t go to ECW and I wasn’t a wrestler for Ring of Honor. So is the definition I’m not successful? Because I have my own TV show debuting on AppleTV+.”

With the six-part documentary series set to debut on March 17, Monster Factory is likely to become a household name and even more influential inside the pro wrestling sphere. Meaning, notable promotions could come knocking on Cage’s door looking for him to use his talents to benefit their companies.

However, the 49-year-old has one question for companies like WWE if they do come calling in the near future.

“Here’s what I would say to them. Before you contact me, you better have a good answer for this. You’ve seen what I’ve done over the last decade. That wasn’t enough on my resume. But I got a TV show and now you’re calling me? You should have come correct before. If they let me do what I’m going to do, [then] yea. But, no matter what, I want to do this for AppleTV+.

“If we’re going to have a season two, season three, I’m in on that. If someone else doesn’t want to deal with that or let me do this and that, then I don’t want to deal with [them]. … But they’re not going to do that. They haven’t returned my emails for years.”

– Danny Cage

You can watch Monster Factory this Friday, and give it a look using AppleTV+ free trial.

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