Wrestling Academy Graduate Testimonials

In January of 2001 I, Travis Conley, made a trip to Eldon, Missouri. My school was having a career shadow day so I went to meet the legendary eight-time world champion Harley Race. This was just days after my seventeenth birthday. I had always had dreams of becoming a professional wrestler ever since I was four years old and by meeting Harley and his wife B.J. put me closer to the realization of that dream.

After the career shadow day Harley and I became friends and stayed in close contact. He would give advice to me about my amateur wrestling matches along with words of encouragement. In my last two years of high school I helped bring Harley Race's World League Wrestling to my hometown of Sping Hill, Kansas in the spring of each year. During one of these shows in 2002, Harley presented me with a full ride scholarship to the Harley Race Wrestling Academy and I didn't even have to think twice about the offer. I passed up a promising collegiate wrestling career and started training professionally.

On August 23, 2002 I made my professional wrestling debut. This was merely months after my high school graduation. I wrestled under the name 'T-Money' and defeated a man by the name of Jeremy Fultz. Since then I have wrestled all over the Midwest with World League Wrestling. I have a technical, mat work style, combined with some aerial maneuvers, including my crowd pleasing 450 splash. I hope to continue my success and climb the ladder to the top of the wrestling world.

There are many words to describe the Harley Race Wrestling Academy. The first word that comes out of my mouth is opportunity. There are many from day one. You have opportunity to be a professional wrestler, you have the opportunity to be a somebody, you have the opportunity to live out a child hood dream, and the list is endless.

The first time I met Harley Race was at a wrestling camp he, Les Thatcher, and guest instructor Ricky Steamboat held in Eldon, Missouri during the summer of 2003. I graduated high school two days prior to the camp's start and I was excited to be apart of it. The camp lasted three days and covered some of the basics of wrestling, weightlifting, dieting, conditioning, and just a general knowledge of the business. Everyday I left holding a different sore body part, but I did it with a big smile because I was having the time of my life.

It had always been a dream of mine to wrestle. After the camp I returned to my hometown in St. Peters, Missouri just long enough to save up some money, pick up my bags, and kiss my mom and dad goodbye. I returned to Eldon to fulfill my dream and attend the Harley Race Wrestling Academy.

For six months I trained hard day after day with guys like Trevor Rhodes and Superstar Steve. Under the guidance of Harley Race, these men shaped me into what I always wanted to be; a professional wrestler. It was the toughest thing I've ever done but nothing in life comes easy. If it weren't for the kind hearts of Harley and B.J. Race helping me fit in and welcoming me, making every day a little easier by showing me nothing but respect, then this could have been an opportunity wasted. That's why I'd like to thank them and everyone else that helped me realize that you need to take every opportunity in life to get better because it may not come around twice.

Professional wrestling has always attracted a wide variety of athletes to partake in the sport. As diverse as the sport is, wrestlers are drawn together by one common bond. They love and are obsessed with the sport. Ask any wrestler and they will tell you how they grew up watching it, never missing a single week, always feeling in the back of their minds that this was something they wanted to be involved with. I was no different.

So when it came time to decide my future after high school it was to no one's surprise that I went in the direction of professional wrestling. But there was a problem; I lived in Montana. This was about as far away from the wrestling world as you can get. Because of this and the fact that I wanted the best training available; I was willing to move anywhere in the country to pursue my dream. I visited some of the top schools in the nation during this time. But I knew I found the right one when I attended Harley Race's three-day camp in July of 2003.

After the camp I moved to Eldon, Missouri and started my training at the Harley Race Wrestling Academy. The training is tough but I believe it is the best instruction available in the United States today. Having the privilege to be trained by Harley Race is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will always deeply appreciate.

The school itself is first class but so are the people. Outside the ring everyone was very accepting and made me feel very welcome. Overall the experience has given me tremendous respect for myself and for my true passion in life, wrestling. For all the kindness shown to me from Harley ,and his wife, B.J. Race, I am forever grateful.

I grew up in Versailles, Missouri. I've been an athlete all my life. In high school I played basketball, football, and track. I was a four-year starter in football, three-year starter in basketball, and I was a state champion hurdler in track. I went on to Lincoln University were I was a National Champion Qualifier in Track.

I heard about the Harley Race Wrestling Academy in Eldon, Missouri. I watched wrestling all my life, so when I heard about the school I decided to go after a life long dream. I started in 2001 at the age of thirty-seven. I figured that if Diamond Dallas Page could start at the age of thirty-five then I could at least try. When you have a dream, you just have to listen to it.

I soon graduated from the Academy and began wrestling for World League Wrestling. I've had some pretty good success since I've started. I'm a two-time tag team champion with my partner Trevor Rhodes. In 2002 I won the WLW title in St. Louis, by defeating both Ace Steel and Trevor Rhodes in a three-way match. I've worked with and against some great names in this sport such as Bobby Eaton, Ron and Don Harris, Buff Bagwell, and others. I've wrestled for WWE numerous times, including a 2004 appearance on their show Velocity. On the show Dangerous Derek and I wrestled a tag team match against Doug and Danny Basham. I've also had the privilege to compete in seven different wrestling organizations.

The Harley Race Wrestling Academy taught me the right way to wrestle. It gave me the confidence to step into the ring with anybody and opportunities beyond my wildest dreams.

When I was seventeen I knew I wanted to become a professional wrestler. What I didnt know is that I would end up looking a legend in the eyes on the day of my tryout, and that legend was Harley Race. I decided to give the Harley Race Wrestling Academy a try for two reasons. First, it was only about thirty minutes from my house. Secondly, it was a no- brainer since it was run by none other than Harley.

I was arguably in the best cardio shape of anyone who has ever stepped into the school so the tryout wasnt much of a problem for me. I met Trevor Rhodes for the first time on that day, and that is when the hatred between the two of us started. I was the third graduate of the school and to this day I was the quickest to do it. I made my debut in World League Wrestling and through the years Ive wrestled a lot of the tops stars in the business. Ive been in the ring with Haku, the Barbarian, the Harris brothers, Buff Bagwell, the Big Boss Man, Greg Valentine, Rick Steiner, and the Road Warriors, Hawk, and Animal.

I wanted to succeed very badly and was not afraid to work for it. Harley recognized this and less than a year into my career, in February of 2001, I got booked to wrestle for World Wrestling Entertainment. This was my first of many trips to the WWE and these trips helped me reinforce my desire to make it in the business.

Four months later I found myself in a totally different world. Well, literally speaking I found myself in a totally different country. Only sixteen months into my career I was flown to Japan and trained in the Pro Wrestling NOAH dojo for three months. It was quite possibly the hardest thing I have ever done. Soon after I made my debut for Pro Wrestling NOAH in Tokyo. I have done thirteen tours total for NOAH and look forward to each one.

Thanks to the Harley Race Wrestling Academy I have done more things in my short career than most guys will ever do, and my hunger to succeed is as big as ever.

In 1999 I came to the Harley Race Wrestling Academy for some fine-tuning on my skills as a professional wrestler. Soon after in 1999 I began wrestling for Harley Races own promotion that was just getting off the ground, in World League Wrestling. Im one of the few guys who have been with WLW since the beginning and am still a part of the company today. In 2001 I reached the high point of success with World League Wrestling when I won their Championship from Meng at only twenty-one years of age.

The Harley Race Wrestling Academy and World League Wrestling gave me high credibility in the world of professional wrestling. So high that in 2001 I was asked to wrestle matches for WWE. In 2002 I was brought in to NWA-TNA and was teamed up with Bo Dupp. I did a successful eight-week stint with NWA-TNA as Stan Dupp, one half of the Dupp brothers.

Then because of the relationship with Harley Race and Pro Wrestling NOAH, I was flown to Japan to train six months in the world famous Dojo. Ive done multiple tours and wrestled many times for Pro Wrestling NOAH. While over there Ive had the privilege of competing against the biggest stars in Japan. Stars such as Misawa, Ogawa, and the long reigning champion Kenta Kobashi.

Since starting with WLW Ive had the chance to wrestle some of the biggest stars in the wrestling business. Ive been in the ring with stars such as Jeff Jarrett, One Man Gang, Meng, Disco Inferno, Buff Bagwell, Rick Steiner, and Billy Gunn. Not only do I wrestle for World League Wrestling but also I help in the development of its newest stars. I have been helping Harley Race out with the training at the Harley Race Wrestling Academy since 2001 and I look forward to every new student who comes through the doors, wanting to become a professional wrestler.

In 2004 I went for six months of training with Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan. When I returned to the states I received a title shot in Columbus Nebraska against Wild Wade Chism and the then-current champion, Rick Steiner. On that night in Columbus I was able to win back the WLW Championship and regain my status as the standard bearer here in WLW.

Growing up in small town Kansas, I have always watched wrestling. I promised myself that if the chance ever arose, I would pursue a career in the profession.

After a four-year football career at Ottawa University, in Ottawa, Kansas, the first thing I did was tryout at the one and only Harley Race Wrestling Academy. It was an endeavor I could hardly wait to start. So in July of 2003, I went through a tiring and rigorous two hour tryout that left me with a new respect for not only the professional wrestling business, but for professional wrestlers themselves.

Ever since being at the academy I have seen many, many opportunities offered by the school to its wrestlers. At the Harley Race Wrestling Academy the students have the chance to wrestle in Japan and many students have gone on to wrestle matches and even have tryouts with World Wrestling Entertainment. These chances are unheard of at 99% of all other wrestling schools in the country. So being a kid from small town Kansas, this was an opportunity and a chance of a lifetime.

I was born and raised in Concordia, Missouri and first began watching wrestling in 1997. As is the case with most wrestling fans it didnt take long before I was hooked on the sport. By early 1998 I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a professional wrestler. But at the age of twelve no one takes that too serious because if you were to look around the room of my fellow sixth grade classmates you would see aspiring black belt ninjas, professional baseball and basketball players, and even an astronaut or two.

A couple years later I began high school and as much as the football coach hated it I only played basketball. I was on varsity for four years and was a two-year starter. I had the privilege of being on 27 and 3 team my freshman year, and it was a very cool experience being able to go the state championships. I could list some personal accomplishments in basketball but I doubt anyone out there reading this really cares; plus in reality all it would be is an ego boost for myself. My greatest accomplishment however came when I was a junior. It was then that I became a devout Chrisitan and allowed God to be totally in control of my life. The reason thats the biggest accomplishment is because no matter what happens to me in this life or in the world of professional wrestling I know exactly where Im going when I die.

I graduated from Concordia High School in 2004. I still had my sixth grade dream intact but if you were to look around the room at my graduating class you would now see aspiring physical therapists, farmers, and just some college bound kids who dont know what they want to do with their lives. Now all of a sudden I was eighteen and people began taking this whole professional wrestling thing a little more seriously. In August of 2004 I left Concordia, my four year job at Biffles Smokehouse, and a lot of really great friends and family behind to move to Eldon, Missouri and begin my journey as a professional wrestler. The beginning of that journey was at the Harley Race Wresting Academy. It was bar none the hardest thing Ive ever done in my life. I often joke around with people and say I should have just been a NAVY seal cause it would have been a lot easier. After four months of hard and extensive training I made my debut in World League Wrestling.

The Harley Race Wrestling Academy is one of the top schools in the country. Im not just saying that to plug the school, it really is. There have been countless top stars in the wrestling business say the exact same thing about the Academy and the promotion itself, World League Wrestling. I would like to thank Harley and his wife B.J. for welcoming me into the school and the World League Wrestling family