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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.

Tags: WWE, Billy Robinson, AWA