October 29, 2024 – WWE today announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind developmental program designed to provide up-and-coming independent wrestlers a pathway to a potential career in WWE. The program will be called WWE ID, short for WWE Independent Development™.
“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.
Following the 2021 launch of WWE’s NIL program, WWE ID has been constructed to support independent wrestling prospects and wrestling schools with world-class training, development and mentorship.
Under the program, WWE will provide prominent independent wrestling schools with the WWE ID official designation, with the goal of providing new trainees and existing talent at these select institutions with enhanced developmental opportunities. 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 Rikishi’s KnokX Pro Academy (Los Angeles) are the first WWE ID independent wrestling schools to earn the official designation.
Additionally, WWE ID will identify top independent wrestling prospects with an official WWE ID “prospect” designation and support their developmental journey by providing financial opportunity and assisting with training, mentorship and development, including access to world-class facilities, best-in-class ring training, athletic trainers and more. WWE ID will give fans the opportunity to follow the paths of these standout prospects on the independent wrestling scene through curated, behind-the-scenes content, as well as highlights and matches showcased across WWE’s social platforms.
To learn more about WWE ID and WWE’s recruiting process, please visit recruit.wwe.com.
C4 Wrestling responds | Nitter:
The point of independent wrestling is for talent to discover themselves, and develop themselves. To grow. To learn.
If you claim to be an independent but are bound to a billion dollar company, you’re not an independent.
tl;dr - It seems like WWE is buying ‘dibs’ on students who come out of the aforementioned wrestler owned training schools.
the equivalent to scabs in a union context
Looks like HHH did indeed learn a lesson from nearly killing BritWres, and that lesson was it being widely successful for him and he should do it again!
This pre-PC positioning is absolutely insane.
Wrestlers react to WWEID
Justin Credible: So cool!! Great opportunity for young men and women in the independent circuit
Carmelo Hayes: LFG tap in with these schools. I want all yall to get the bag 💯
Austin Phoenix: This sounds TOP TIER🔥
RSP: You don’t know badly the indies needed this. This is awesome.
Piper Niven: It feels correct.
Shane Mercer: This is pretty awesome
Eli Knight: Closer and closer to the goal. What a crazy time for wrestling sheesh to which Robert Marty replied: 2025
There’s a ton more but basically wrestlers and fans on a completely different page as I could not find a single wrestler being negative about it.
