If you’ve seen the new hit docuseries Monster Factory on AppleTV+, you are familiar with hardnosed but loving pro wrestling coach Danny Cage. The series follows five Monster Factory students as they succeed and fail in the colorful world they have chosen. Cage serves as their mentor and occasional shoulder to cry on throughout the series.
In an exclusive Haus of Wrestling interview, available on the Haus of Wrestling podcast feed, Cage addressed the chances he will ever work directly with WWE or AEW, like many of his students someday hope to.
“Nope, no,” he began. “Nobody will, they won’t because I am real in a business that’s not. I understand entertainment and I understand the art form and I don’t believe in trying to work people. So, I actually tell people the f-cking truth. I tell the truth and that upsets people. Plus, I also don’t like trash human beings. There’s a lot of trash around so people don’t want me around because that is the type of person I am.”
Cage’s description of “trash” floating around the industry isn’t without merit as prominent figures in the industry have been accused of bad behavior in recent years. Vince McMahon, prior to his return to WWE, resigned in disgrace last year after a litany of allegations against him from former female employees. During the infamous Plane Ride From Hell episode of Dark Side of the Ring, a former flight attendant alleged that Ric Flair forced her hand onto his penis after exposing himself on that infamous flight. These are just a few examples.
Despite his best efforts to create a positive and professional environment at the Monster Factory, Cage cannot control every locker room his students are in outside of his umbrella. The looming fear that one of his young students could fall prey to a bad actor is something he takes seriously.
“When Mimi started,” Cage said, talking about one of his more famous students, The Notorious Mimi. “When she started taking bookings at seventeen and eighteen, it wasn’t just because she was a girl but also because she was new to wrestling, I was making sure someone was with her.
“Whether it would be her parents or another wrestler. Just making sure someone was there because I don’t ever want anything not getting back to me. I know she can handle herself, that’s not what I am worried about. I am worried about her being afraid not to tell me something that happened.”
If you use any quotes from this article please give a h/t to Haus of Wrestling for the transcription and link back