WWE issued the following:
WWE® LAUNCHES NEW INDIE WRESTLING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
“WWE ID” (WWE Independent Development™) to Identify, Support and Develop Independent Wrestling Schools and Wrestling Talent
Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling, Cody Rhodes’ Nightmare Factory and Seth Rollins’ Black and Brave Academy Among First Schools to Receive Official “WWE ID’” Designation
October 29, 2024 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), 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 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.
About WWE
WWE® is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion households worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, The CW, TNT Sports, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. WWE is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO). Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
