Aron Stevens, Fka Damien Sandow, training with WWE Hall of Famer Killer Kowalski

Long before he was Damien Sandow in the WWE, Aron Stevens was just another wrestling-obsessed teenager looking to get into the business. Luckily, he found the right people for it in wrestling legend and well-known trainer Killer Kowalski. During his appearance on “Developmentally Speaking,” Stevens recalled meeting Kowalski as a 16-year-old high school student and how he and his friend convinced Kowalski to accept her into his wrestling school.

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“We asked him if he could get in and he said, ‘Okay, here’s my card,'” Stevens said. “‘Call me, come to school. Your parents must sign a consent form.’ I thought, “Sure.” Well, to make a long story short, it happened and I was accepted. He said, “No, we’re going to take a chance.” And he did. And that was before…you had to be 18 because the store was still very, very closed. People were like, ‘Who the hell is this kid?’ That was the mood, right?”

Stevens explained the experience led to him receiving both wrestling and academic training throughout his high school education. But there was a third education that Stevens says came to him through wrestling training that was just as important; one in life.

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“In terms of dealing with people, in terms of … and looks, wrestling has a showman element to it,” Stevens said. “But… you really have to figure it out quickly, at least back then. Nowadays it’s just Instagram videos and whatever to create a culture… Back then, if you didn’t get smart, that’s how you were singled out. And if I hadn’t had people looking out for me when I was 16, I wouldn’t have known what hit me. But I was lucky enough to have people who said, ‘Hey, that’s who you are.’ I have to deal with it.” ‘OK.'”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Developmentally Speaking” and submit it to Wrestling Inc. for transcription