DETROIT – Detroit has a new wrestling academy, and Red Wings four-time Stanley Cup champion Darren McCarty is helping lead the charge.
Grind Time Wrestling Academy officially opened Thursday (July 2) at the Brewster Wheeler Recreation Center in Detroit’s Brush Park neighborhood, offering aspiring wrestlers a structured training program designed to take the sport seriously.
The launch event included an open house from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by a free live wrestling showcase featuring the academy’s first class of trainees.
McCarty, the former Detroit Red Wings star, is a key figure behind the new venture and said the project means far more to him than just wrestling.
“It’s very exciting, obviously, for everything that the city of Detroit, the people of Detroit have given to me,” McCarty said. “Not just the four Stanley Cups, but everything else in my life, to be able to be a part of something to give it back.”
Reviving a Detroit landmark
The academy is housed inside the recently renovated Brewster Wheeler Recreation Center on Wilkins Street, the same building that holds the historic Kronk Gym, long associated with boxing great Thomas “Hitman” Hearns.
McCarty said that legacy is a driving force behind the project.
“The history of it is so important,” McCarthy said. “If we fell through the floor, we’d be in the wrestling ring that Joe Louis used to train in.”
McCarty said the broader mission is about returning the Brewster Wheeler building to its roots as a true community space.
“It’s about getting the Brewster Wheeler building back into the community center for the city and for the kids and for families,” McCarty said. “Having the opportunity to bring the wrestling here is the first step.”
More than just the ring
McCarty said the academy is designed to open doors across the wrestling industry, not only for athletes, but for anyone with a passion for the sport.
“Some people want to be managers, some want to be refs, some want to work the camera, some want to do interviews,” McCarty said. “If you have an affinity and a love for wrestling, it’s a place to come down and have a conversation.”
McCarty added that safety and discipline are central to the training philosophy, describing the sport in blunt terms.
“It’s a choreographed dance of violence,” McCarty said. “If you don’t do it right, you will hurt yourself.”
McCarty also emphasized that the academy aims to be a welcoming environment for everyone.
“It doesn’t see color, doesn’t see race, doesn’t see ethnicity or sexual preference,” McCarty said. “It’s just all about being around the ring and enjoying a great story.”
The academy will launch a weekly $5 wrestling show beginning July 9, streaming Thursday nights at 7 p.m.
First class graduates
Among those celebrated at Thursday’s opening was Joey Auger, a Michigan State University student who trains under the ring name Joey Brooks.
Auger said he has been training for about six months while commuting from East Lansing for sessions.
“I’ve been going back and forth, like long car drives just to get some practice in,” Auger said. “The coaches here have always been open with my schedule and they’ve been able to train me.”
He was candid about the physical toll of the training.
“It hurts. It hurts a lot,” Auger said. “Hitting the ropes, slamming on the ground, every single part of it hurts. You get used to it.”
Auger said prior gym experience helped him adapt more quickly to the sport.
“I have a few years of experience in the gym before this,” Auger said. “It’s made progressing much easier for me personally.”
He said he plans to compete regularly going forward.
“I plan on wrestling the Grind Time weekly shows here every Thursday,” Auger said.
Fellow student Kwame Williams said his path into professional wrestling began unexpectedly, with a flyer handed to him outside a WWE event.
“We were walking out of a WWE event when the owner’s wife waved me down with a flyer,” Williams said. “She said, ‘Hey, you want to be a wrestler?’ And that led to me showing up, and now I’m here.”
Williams, who previously played football at the collegiate level, said his 15-week training journey included two shoulder injuries but also a renewed sense of purpose.
“I got hurt in week four, and I got hurt in week six,” Williams said. “My shoulder popped out twice.”
Despite the setbacks, Williams said the coaching staff kept him motivated and supported throughout his recovery.
“They’re not going to just leave you stranded,” Williams said. “If you get hurt, they’re not going to be like, ‘You’re done.’”
He had a simple message for anyone considering signing up.
“Don’t quit,” Williams said. “There’s no reason to quit. You should go after what you want to go after.”
Pro wrestler joins coaching staff
Professional wrestler Trey Miguel, who competes for TNA Wrestling, will serve as a beginner-level coach at the academy, focusing on foundational skills for first-time trainees.
“I’m actually going to be a beginner’s coach,” Miguel said. “I’ll be part of the first class that learns the ropes, how to take bumps before we get into anything too technical.”
Miguel said newcomers often arrive with misconceptions shaped by years of watching the sport as fans.
“I think it’s important to be a fan of this first, to have an understanding of what you’re getting yourself into,” Miguel said. “This is not ballet, this is not easy, it’s not fake. People get hurt all the time.”
He spoke from personal experience.
Miguel said he was cleared to return to action just one day before Thursday’s opening after a four-month absence due to a broken knee.
“I’ve been out for four months because of it,” Miguel said. “I was cleared yesterday.”
Miguel said the academy represents a meaningful opportunity for both aspiring wrestlers and the Detroit community.
“There’s an escape and somewhere safe for children and young teens and young adults to go,” Miguel said. “I think anyone that comes through this wrestling school has one of the greatest opportunities of being a good wrestler.”
Watch the full presser below