WWE Will Hold Tryouts For Current And Recently Graduated College Athletes WrestleMania Week

Chris Vannini of The Athletic is reporting that WWE will hold a multi-day tryout exclusive to current and recently graduated college athletes during WrestleMania week. The tryouts are set from the last Wednesday of March through April 1st in the practice facilities of the Dallas Cowboys. As of this writing, more than 50 collegiate athletes are set for the event.

 The athletes aren’t trained professional wrestlers so the odds of there being a lot of wrestling prowess at the tryouts are minimal, but the athletes will be judged on athletic evaluations, as well as interview and promotion skills..

A variety of sports will be represented in the tryout, including NFL players that are eligible for the draft, as well as stars from college basketball, wrestling, volleyball, gymnastics, track and field, dance and cheer. It was noted in the report that WWE will have a presence during the NFL combine for upcoming NFL draft talent. “WWE hopes to convince fringe draft picks or undrafted players to look at a potential career in pro wrestling,” says the report.

Per WWE:

More Than 50 Current and Recently Graduated College Athletes to Participate

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that it will host a multi-day talent tryout, exclusively for current and recently graduated college athletes, as part of WrestleMania Week in Dallas.

The three-day event begins Wednesday, March 30, and will take place in Frisco, Texas, at the Ford Center at The Star, home of the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and state-of-the-art practice facility. WWE will host more than 50 male and female participants with collegiate athletic backgrounds across football, basketball, track and field, wrestling, volleyball, gymnastics, cheer and dance. Several NFL Draft-eligible college football players are scheduled to participate in the invite-only event.
Athletes will partake in performance evaluations, individual and group promo evaluations, in-ring technical sessions and sit-down interviews as part of the tryout process. Additionally, current college athletes will participate in assessments as WWE continues its search for the next class of its “Next In Line” program.

WWE launched its official NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) program in December 2021 to establish a clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE. Participants in the WrestleMania Week tryout will be considered for entry into the company’s second NIL class which will be unveiled in the coming months.
WWE’s inaugural 15-person NIL class included athletes from 13 universities, seven NCAA conferences and four sports. The comprehensive program serves to recruit and develop potential future Superstars, and further enhances WWE’s talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds.

WrestleMania 38, the most stupendous two-night WrestleMania in history, takes place Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3 live from AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Tickets are currently on sale via SeatGeek.com. WrestleMania 38 will stream live exclusively on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.

Learn more about the path to becoming a WWE Superstar and the “Next In Line” program at wwerecruit.com.

This report falls in line with the recent NIL Program WWE implemented earlier this year that allows collegiate athletes to prepare for a career in WWE while still being able to fulfill academic expectations. Bodyslam will keep you as up-to-date on the situation as possible.

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