WWE's D. H. Smith To Coach Catch Wrestling Under Billy Robinson
Posted: Mar 7th 2011 By: CMBurnham
Harry Smith - better known as David Hart / DH Smith in WWE - has just become the latest Assistant Coach in the Scientific Wrestling certification program under Catch As Catch Can Wrestling legend Billy Robinson. I asked Scientific Wrestling founder and fellow Assistant Coach Jake Shannon briefly about Smith and how he hooked up with Billy Robinson as well as what the Assistant Coach title reflects and whether he thinks Smith will be coaching Catch Wrestling himself:
Harry first met Billy while in Japan and briefly worked out with him, I believe in 2006. Then when I brought Billy to the US for the first time in early 2007, Harry came to continue learning. Since then Harry has come to several Certified Catch Wrestler Camps to continue his training.
The assistant coach designation means two things; first, that you've logged at least 100 hours of verifiable time training with Billy, and second, that you can teach/demonstrate the concepts to Billy and my approval.
He likely won't be teaching due to his WWE schedule but is a becoming a very good grappler.
Smith can actually be seen thrown around by Josh Barnett in the DVD seminar "W.A.R. Catch Wrestling" with Billy Robinson.
Along with Jake Shannon, Smith joins only two others who have achieved Assistant Coach level - Sam Kressin, BJJ Blackbelt and MMA trainer, and Jesse Marez, multiple Martial Arts trainer and High School Wrestling Coach. Both Kressin and Marez are based in Southern California.
Billy Robinson originally learned Catch Wrestling at the infamous Wigan Snake Pit under Billy Riley, as well as being an Amateur Wrestling champion that included a British National Championship, and a European Open Championship title after defeating an Olympic Bronze Medalist in the final. Robinson found success Pro Wrestling in Europe, as well as in America (most notably the AWA) and in Japan. Robinson went on to become the head coach at the UWFi Snake Pit in Japan where he taught Pro Wrestling and authentic Catch As Catch Can wrestling to notable students such as Kazushi Sakuraba and Josh Barnett.
Robinson's last Pro Wrestling match was in 1992 with Nick Bockwinkle to help bolster the shoot style pro wrestling movement in Japan, and Robinson was inducted into the International Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003, in the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa.
Supplemental Information
Latest News
Pro wrestler Nyla Rose selling t-shirts to benefit LGBTQ+ non-profit in Oklahoma
A pro wrestler is selling a shirt with proceeds benefitting an Oklahoma non-profit. Nyl... Read More
The Scoop
NEWS WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash weighed in on the warning sent to AEW by the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission. OSAC alleged that the company had viol... Read More
“Make yourself undeniable” – Bodyslam.net speaks with Walker Stewart of NJPW
In the realm of professional wrestling, I wear two hats – one as a wordsmith for Bodys... Read More
- AEW’s Ricky Starks recalls sneak-eating king cakes, washing cars for money ahead of champions’ homecoming show
- Mickie James on Her Next Chapter In Impact Wrestling & ‘Bound for Glory’
- Ric Flair Interview Recap
- AEW ‘Grand Slam’: Sammy Guevara on His Journey from Working at Taco Bell to Facing Chris Jericho
Upcoming Events
- ASP · May 4 11:30am · Noble
- BPW · May 4 3:00pm · Sapulpa
- WFC · May 4 7:00pm · Broken Arrow
- TexPro · May 4 7:00pm · Ardmore
- EDW · May 5 6:00pm · Tulsa
- NAW · May 10 6:30pm · Salina
- WAH · May 11 6:00pm · Tulsa
- UWO · May 11 6:00pm · Tuttle
- NAW · May 11 6:30pm · Watts (Chewey)
- MHCW · May 17 7:00pm · Seminole
- UWE · May 18 6:00pm · Tahlequah
- EPW · May 18 6:00pm · Midwest City
- WAH · May 25 6:00pm · Tulsa
- CPW · May 31 7:30pm · Sand Springs
- ASP · May 4 11:30am · Noble
- BPW · May 4 3:00pm · Sapulpa
- CPW · May 31 7:30pm · Sand Springs
- EDW · May 5 6:00pm · Tulsa
- EPW · May 18 6:00pm · Midwest City
- MHCW · May 17 7:00pm · Seminole
- NAW · May 10 6:30pm · Salina
- NAW · May 11 6:30pm · Watts (Chewey)
- TexPro · May 4 7:00pm · Ardmore
- UWE · May 18 6:00pm · Tahlequah
- UWO · May 11 6:00pm · Tuttle
- WAH · May 11 6:00pm · Tulsa
- WAH · May 25 6:00pm · Tulsa
- WFC · May 4 7:00pm · Broken Arrow
- Mick Foley, Leva Bates, Lex Luger, Milo Beasley, and Ron Simmons · May 24 2:00pm · Oklahoma City Convention Center · Oklahoma City
- Mick Foley, Leva Bates, Lex Luger, Milo Beasley, and Ron Simmons · May 25 10:00am · Oklahoma City Convention Center · Oklahoma City
- Mick Foley, Leva Bates, Lex Luger, Milo Beasley, and Ron Simmons · May 26 10:00am · Oklahoma City Convention Center · Oklahoma City
- Jimmy Hart and Matt Riddle · Aug 10 10:00am · Cox Business Convention Center · Tulsa
- Jimmy Hart and Matt Riddle · Aug 11 11:00am · Cox Business Convention Center · Tulsa
- Jake Hager and Jimmy Hart · Oct 5 10:00am · A. J. Horton Event Center · McAlester
- Jake Hager and Jimmy Hart · Oct 6 10:00am · A. J, Horton Event Center · McAlester
Card Results
- UWO · Apr 29th 2024 · Guthrie
- UWE · Apr 27th 2024 · Tahlequah
- BPW · Apr 27th 2024 · Tulsa
- CPW · Apr 26th 2024 · Sand Springs
- UWO · Apr 26th 2024 · Guthrie
- UWO · Apr 22nd 2024 · Guthrie
- TIW · Apr 20th 2024 · Tulsa
- TexPro · Apr 20th 2024 · Ardmore
- EPW · Apr 20th 2024 · Oklahoma City
- UWE · Apr 20th 2024 · Tahlequah
- 3CW
- 3DW
- 412PE
- AACW
- ACW
- AdCW
- AEW
- AmWF
- ASP
- AWA
- AWE
- AWF
- AWFUL
- BB
- BBOW
- BCW
- BLOW
- BMLL
- BPPW
- BPW
- BSWF
- BTW
- BYEW
- CAPW
- CCW
- ComPro
- CPW
- CWE
- CWF
- CXW
- DEMW
- DI2IW
- ECW
- EDW
- EmpCW
- EMWF
- EPW
- FCW
- FIW
- FTE
- GPCW
- GWF
- GWF2016
- HPB
- ICW
- IMPACT
- IPW
- IWR
- IWW
- IZW
- JCW
- KCW
- LA
- LDU
- LLQ
- LLR
- MajCW
- MAW
- MCW
- MERC
- MMWF
- MPW
- MSPW
- MStW
- MSW
- MSWA
- MVSC
- MWA
- MWF
- MWW
- NAW
- NCW
- NCWO
- NEW
- NMS
- NWA
- NWA-FTA
- NWA-OK
- NWA-TXO
- NWA-U
- NWA-West
- NXT
- NXW
- OCCW
- OCW
- OECW
- OKX
- OPW
- OWA
- OWF
- OWP
- PWR
- PWTV
- PZWA
- RDW
- ROH
- SCW
- SCWF
- SECW
- SLPW
- SoCW
- SPW
- SRPW
- SWCW
- TAP
- TAZW
- TCBW
- TCW
- TexPro
- TIW
- TNA
- TOPW
- TPW
- TSW
- TxPW
- UCW
- USWA
- UWE
- UWF
- UWF06
- UWO
- W4CW
- WAH
- WCCW
- WCP
- WCR
- WCW
- WCW92
- WFA
- WFC
- WIA
- WLW
- WWE
- WWEmp
- WWF
- WWG
- WWW
- XMW