Roderick Strong On Training With Jim Neidhart, Spending Almost 30 Years In Wrestling

Roderick Strong reflects on his path to the squared circle and nearly three decades in the industry. 

Roderick Strong is one of the most technically gifted pro wrestlers of his generation and while he is not from a wrestling family, he started his journey in wrestling before he was a teenager and has ties to one of the most famous wrestling families in the industry’s history, the Hart family. 

During an interview with KSLA News 12, Strong reflected on a troubled childhood that led him to the world of wrestling and his early days of training with Jim Neidhard. 

“Oh, that’s a long story, long-winded, it’s a long story, but in the short version, I had a troubled childhood and my dad was a single parent at the time and he actually trained to wrestle. So, the person that was his trainer was Jim Neidhart from the Hart Foundation. I was 12 at the time and he let me get in the ring and that just changed my life forever. It gave me an escape. You know what I’m saying? So I could do and be whoever I wanted. This technically would be like my 29th year of being around the wrestling business.”

Jim Neidhart is the father of WWE Superstar Natalya. All these years later, Natalya continues to pay it forward by helping wrestlers train at what she calls the Dungeon 2.0. Fans can learn about Nattie’s thought process behind this new training facility here. 

Roderick Strong is currently signed to AEW where he is a member of the Undisputed Kingdom alongside Wardlow, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, and Adam Cole. 

Strong will look to capture his first AEW championship belt when he challenges Orange Cassidy for the AEW International Championship at AEW Revolution on March 3. Check out the full card here. 

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