A member of WWE's talent development team will be present to speak with individuals interested in learning about the process of joining the company. This marks WWE's first organized, open recruitment effort in the Hawaiian Islands.
"It's kind of like a job fair, just educating them about the business and making that first contact," Nick Alvarez of the WWE's communications team told Aloha State Daily.
WWE launched its Next In Line (NIL) program in 2021, which identifies current college athletes with potential to transition into professional wrestling. The program offers financial compensation and promotion to athletes who fit the WWE's criteria, often drawing parallels between collegiate athletic training schedules and the demands of in-ring competition.
"We kind of express to an athlete that has that natural rhythm in their life of waking up, training, lifting, recovery, and then whether their careers end or when they start thinking about what's next, we've found that there's a lot of similarities between a training schedule for an Olympic athlete or a ball sport athlete and what we do in the ring and what our wrestlers do in the ring," Alvarez explained. "What we've done over the last couple of years is reach out through our NIL program or just reach out to college kids directly."
Notable developmental success stories from this approach include Tiffany Stratton, Bron Breakker, and Oba Femi. Stratton, 27, transitioned from gymnastics, while Breakker, 28, played college football and had a brief stint with the Baltimore Ravens. Femi, 28 was an SEC shot put champion at the University of Alabama before joining WWE's NIL program in 2021. All three appeared in WWE NXT before moving to the main roster.
"These are people who were found through their athletic career and then transitioned into wrestling, because a lot of that showmanship just carries over," Alvarez said. "What our great talent development team does is try to find those outlets where there's room for expression, and room for that kind of great fertile ground of athletes. That's why they're heading down to Hawai‘i, in addition to the beautiful weather, to kind of make contact there and kind of establish a presence in the region and start trying to attract some of those talents to potentially join our developmental program."
Alvarez emphasized that all individuals are welcome to inquire, regardless of their athletic background.
"I would say the net is as wide as you can imagine, just because there's really no one-size-fits-all for a wrestler," Alvarez stated.
The process of developing a wrestler from recruitment to stardom involves hard work and dedication, encompassing both the physical demands of performing in the ring and the development of a compelling character.
"I'm not gonna say it's seamless, because it's hard work," Alvarez said. "From the physical aspect, taking a bump or hitting someone in the ring, you have to like that, and you're going to have to be good at it, and then we can work on a character, we can work on finding that next level for you to present yourself. But if you have that look that's natural..."
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- Bron Breakker
- Jessica Woynilko
- Bronson Rechsteiner
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- Daily Edition
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