Danny Cage
Birth nameDaniel McDonald
Born (1973-12-19) December 19, 1973
Cinnaminson Township, New Jersey, United States
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Danny Cage
Billed height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Billed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Billed fromPaulsboro, New Jersey
Trained byLarry Sharpe
Glenn Ruth
Debut1998

Daniel McDonald (born December 19, 1973) is an American former professional wrestler and trainer better known under his ring name, Danny Cage.

Professional wrestling career

Cage was a high school wrestler in New Jersey who became interested in training at the Monster Factory at age 12 at a time when his parents were going through a divorce. Cage's father wanted him to go to college but Cage wanted to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. Cage convinced his father to put money offered to pay for college toward training at the Monster Factory on the condition Cage got into good shape.

Cage had a tryout in 1994 conducted by Larry Sharpe and Glenn Ruth, which Cage passed and was offered the opportunity to train. Cage's father rescinded his offer and Cage would put his dreams on hold until he attended a wrestling card in North Carolina where Joey Matthews and Steve Corino were competing. A friend named Toad advised Cage to return to New Jersey to pursue his dream. In September 1998, Cage began training at the Monster Factory.

Cage competed as a pro wrestler until 2002 before hurting his back, crossing paths with notable Monster Factory alumni Cliff Compton and Sheamus during his stay. Cage would return before retiring from the ring for good in 2005, having his last match with Q.T. Marshall.

Monster Factory

In 2011, Cage took a co-ownership role of the Monster Factory. Cage and Sharpe moved the Monster Factory to its original home town, Paulsboro, before assuming full ownership from Sharpe.[1]

In 2013, Cage added former WWE and ECW wrestler The Blue Meanie and former ECW wrestler Billy Wiles as trainers at the Monster Factory and began to supplement training with seminars with WWE scout Gerald Brisco, former Ring of Honor lead announcer Kevin Kelly,[2] Ohio Valley Wrestling's Rip Rogers, Les Thatcher, as well as wrestlers Montel Vontavious Porter, Colt Cabana,[3] Stevie Richards,[4] "Brutal" Bob Evans, Robbie E, The Powers of Pain, and Sean Waltman.[5] The Monster Factory also conducts birthday parties and ring rentals. In 2014, Marshall was added as an additional trainer while other wrestlers, like Jay Lethal and Waltman began to drop by for informal training sessions.

Cage's method of training has earned him praise from former WWE commentator Kevin Kelly, who has said: "Monster Factory takes seeds and grows crops in a setting that rivals the (WWE) Performance Center" and has seen students signed to WWE developmental deals and appear on WWE and Ring of Honor television.[6][7][8][9]

In March 2023, Apple TV+ released a six episode documentary series entitled Monster Factory in partnership with Vox Media. The documentary starred Cage and five Monster Factory students: Notorious Mimi, Gabby Ortiz, Goldy, Bobby Buffet, and Lucas "Twitch" DiSangro.[10] It tells the story of their training and personal lives, as well as the origins of the Monster Factory school.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Edwards, Rob (2013-04-07). "Paulsboro's Monster Factory has produced plenty of WrestleMania stars". NJ.com. New Jersey On Line LLC. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Monster Factory's Legacy". Creative Control World. 2015-01-16. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  3. ↑ @4MonsterFactory (January 10, 2014). "Colt Cabana seminar starts at 7pm! Its only $25 at the world famous #MonsterFactory in Paulsboro, NJ http://fb.me/1ZPo6mMzV" (Tweet). Retrieved 13 February 2015 – via Twitter.
  4. ↑ "Stevie Richards Wrestling Seminar and DDP Yoga Class" (PDF). www.monsterfactory.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Monster-Factory.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  5. ↑ @4MonsterFactory (January 8, 2015). "The Sean Waltman seminar is on for the students of the #MonsterFactory http://fb.me/2St36ewxP" (Tweet). Retrieved 13 February 2015 – via Twitter.
  6. ↑ Dilbert, Ryan. "Tommy Maclin, Knuckles Madsen and Latest WWE NXT Developmental News". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Besong, Alex. "Ring of Honor Star QT Marshall Works NXT Match". Wrestling Rumors. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  8. ↑ Johnson, Vaughn. "Allentown native Ian Riccaboni chasing his wrestling dream". Philly.com. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Kelly, Kevin (2014-06-09). "The Real Garden of Professional Wrestling". Wrestlezone. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  10. ↑ Fishman, Scott (15 March 2023). "How Apple TV+'s 'Monster Factory' Shows Vulnerable Side of Wrestling". TV Insider. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  11. ↑ Anderson, John (16 March 2023). "'Monster Factory' Review: Wrestlers or Thespians?". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
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