#4.) Trained by Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart
Here’s a crossover you probably weren’t expecting! This is quite a stretch because Roderick Strong’s father knew someone who’s wife worked in a clinic that Neidhart had gone to. It was Strong’s father who initially wanted to try out wrestling, despite being 40 years of age. Neidhart trained him, and Strong went along with his father.
At the age of 12, Neidhart allowed him to run the ropes and begin some training himself. This was also where he met Harry Smith, a young child at that point as well. Strong described Neidhart’s regiment as “intense”, taking a lot from the Japanese style of relentless training.
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