FIVE QUESTIONS WITH...NEW WWE DEVELOPMENT COACH ROBBIE BROOKSIDE

FSM: You broke into the pro wrestling business in 1984. What do you remember about being trained?
Robbie Brookside: Against my mother and father's wishes, I went to a gym on the East Lancashire Road, run by a fella called Carl McGrath. My family were quite confused by how much I liked watching wrestling; I grew up in an area where you'd be accepted if you picked up a guitar, or became a footballer, but other than that, it was, "Get a normal job, and knuckle down!"
This was between 1978-1980, and some of the names I fondly remember watching on TV were Rollerball Rocco - he was my mentor, but he may not know how much he actually inspired me - Marty Jones, Jon Cortez and Adrian Street. I just wanted to watch, and never thought about competing or learning how to wrestle.
A mate of mine put a spanner in the works, telling one of the wrestlers - Tony Buck, who had been to the Commonwelath Games - that I had said wrestling was "all fixed". Tony told me to come to the English Electric - a local sports hall - that Sunday, and he'd show me it wasn't. I turned up in my football kit, as I'd just finished playing a match, and as I've said to trainees numerous times, it was the longest three minutes of my life. I can still feel the pain from him rubbing my face off the canvas, and I remember crying my eyes out afterwards.
Even so, I went back the next four weeks, because I wasn't going to let him beat me. After that, he started showing me some things - barking them at me, actually. Carl then introduced me to Orig Williams, and I'd help put the ring up for him. He let me stay in a nearby flat, and that was very much how I started.
I remember leaving school on a Wednesday, before flying to Valencia on the Friday, and working for several Spanish promotions on a loop every night. I thought I'd made it, but when I got back, the phone didn't really ring for me. I wasn't bringing money into the house, so I ended up working in Blackpool, because it was my only option.

You were forced to respect the business before you were taught more about it. Is that still necessary today?
I was brought in as a guest of WWE's developmental system in Tampa last September, just to show some basic holds, and things like that. Terry Taylor, whom I hadn't seen since the WCW days, wanted me to put the submissions on hard enough to give the younger talent a little taster of things to come. One wrestler didn't like it, but I do believe that if you have a little bit of pain, you then can relate, portray and sell properly to the audience. It's not a case of ripping a trainee's head off, but just a little tap on the knee or something like that, so they have that experience, and can express that to the cameras.
I'm proud when I see these young people now, like Daniel Bryan, who is a special, overwhelming talent. The great thing about where WWE is headed now, thanks in large to the vision of Triple-H, is that they realise all of this is necessary to take things to the next level.

What do you tell trainees about how to communicate their story in the ring?
I teach feel and expression, because even if you can do things with your eyes closed, there still has to be passion. It has to come from the heart. During a wristlock, for example, imagine that someone has poured something hot onto your arm, and act as if you want to escape from that. I feel there has to be logic, all the time.
As a kid, I was, and still am, rubbish at maths. I'd copy my answers off some of the girls at school, and the teacher would wonder why I hadn't taken notes or worked things out at the side. That translates into wrestling; you have to show that you've worked it out. Anybody can put a headlock on, or take one, but you have to be able to show the indignity of the act itself.
When training, if I don't get 100 percent effort for every single thing, even if it's simple, I can't accept that. There are times when you see wrestlers doing backflips off of balconies, or things like that. Why would you do that? I'm not saying that it's never had a place in the business, but there's only so many times you can do that.
Too many kids these days get hold of a DVD, and just want to copy that, regardless of location. If Kenta Kobashi is chopping someone 20 times in the Tokyo Dome, that's great, but it doesn't mean you'll get the same reaction in Shrewsbury Town Hall. Wrestling is entertainment, and you want to make the people in front of you react. The minute they point at you, or stand up, you've got them.

Is there one specific area where you often see rookies having problems?
So many people breaking in want to fly before they can even crawl. Doing that, you miss all of the important ingredients.
There are too many wrestling schools now. It's horrible, I think. When I took over the WrestLeicester school, there were people powerbombing one another on mats and concrete, and things like that. It was an accident waiting to happen, and it doesn't mean anything. I wouldn't do that on a show, so how can I expect people to do that on a Sunday morning? I want people to walk out of that gym the way they walked in, and there are so many more valuable things to learn. I'm still learning now, all these years into my career.
I now know what it takes to get a developmental contract, and impress the right people at WWE. I can now give my tips and opinion based on fact, so it's exciting, and I try to make everything here at the school worth it every single time, for everybody who attends. I love to teach and pass on knowledge, but there has to be passion there. Thankfully, the business is not the way it was when I came through the doors.

Is there one piece of advice you recall getting as a young wrestler, that still applies when you wrestle or teach today?
If there's someone trying to give you advice, who's been there and done it, keep your eyes and ears open, but your mouth shut.
Wrestling, to me, is like a big tree, with all these different aspects branching off. You can't talk about that tree without taking into account the leaves, the branches, the roots, even the birds and squirrels that live in it.
Don't listen to people who are only talking to you to try to better themselves, but instead listen to those who are giving you advice for the benefit of you. That's the way I've learnt, and the people who have taught me have done exactly that.
Micky Gold, who is sadly no longer with us, was one of those people - someone who was such a huge influence on me, and was so instrumental in my career, and therefore to all the people I worked with.
He wasn't the nicest guy - maybe even a big abrupt and sarcastic - but by god did he ever help me, and I'll never forget him as long as my heart beats.