Those who have been tuning into WWE Raw, SmackDown, and NXT have seen a number of new additions to the roster from the other companies and the independent wrestling world, and WWE is looking to expand and create a true bridge for up and coming wrestlers to find their way to WWE. That will happen courtesy of a new program titled WWE ID, which is short for WWE Independent Development. WWE will provide prominent independent wrestling schools with the WWE ID designation, and looks to provide new trainees and existing talent at these schools with enhanced developmental opportunities.
The first schools to hold the WWE ID designation are Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling (Houston), Cody Rhodes’ Nightmare Factory (Atlanta), Seth Rollins’ Black and Brave Academy (Davenport, Iowa), Elite Pro Wrestling Training Center (Concord, N.H.) and KnokX Pro Academy (Los Angeles). WWE has already been featuring its talent with schools like Reality of Wrestling, but now they look to take that partnership even further.
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WWE will also identify top independent wrestling prospects with an official WWE ID prospect designation, and will support their development by providing financial opportunity and assisting with training, mentorship, and development. These prospects will also have access to world-class facilities, best-in-class ring training, athletic trainers, and more.
WWE will also be releasing curated behind the scenes content and looks to showcase highlights and big matches of these prospects on social media so that fans can follow along their journeys to their hopeful destination of full-time WWE status.
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“WWE ID is the latest in our efforts to identify and support the journey of up-and-coming wrestlers, in turn raising the profile of and strengthening the independent wrestling ecosystem,” said WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
Triple H expanded on that in a post on X, writing, “The level of talent on the independent scene is incredible. They’re grinding away to make their dream a reality, and I’m excited for WWE to be on the forefront of supporting their journeys. @WWEID is here to help identify, support and build the next generation of WWE Superstars.”
WWE has brought in a number of talents recently who have experience in other companies and the independent scene. That includes Zaria, Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, and the Motor City Machine Guns, and that’s just over the past few months. That’s in addition to the prospects brought in from outside the world of wrestling, and many of those have and continue to have an impact in NXT, SmackDown, and Raw as we speak.
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes shared his thoughts on the new initiative on X, writing “Excited to see this program blossom and change the landscape of professional wrestling. As Coach QT and I say at The Nightmare Factory… “Do the Work”. You can check out this tweet right here.
What do you think of the WWE ID program, and do you think we’ll see more independent stars make their way to WWE as a result? You can talk all things wrestling me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!