WWE issued the following press release:
WWE® TO HOLD FIRST-EVER TALENT TRYOUT IN GERMANY
MUNICH, GERMANY and STAMFORD, Conn., August 28, 2018 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that it will visit Germany in search of the next generation of WWE Superstars by holding the first-ever talent tryout in Cologne this November. The four-day tryout will give up to 40 athletes from Germany and mainland Europe the opportunity to showcase their abilities with the goal of being selected to begin training at the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, U.S. The talent pool will comprise of elite performers with a diverse background in sports and athletics including football, rugby, powerlifting, mixed martial arts, strongman and bodybuilding.
“WWE is dedicated to recruiting the most talented athletes and entertainers from around the world and developing them into global Superstars,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “Germany is an important market to grow our business, and Europe is a key region from which to recruit premier athletes who want to pursue the dream of becoming a WWE Superstar.”
The tryout in Germany is the latest example of WWE’s global talent recruiting efforts. In recent years, WWE has scouted rugby and soccer players from Europe, Kabaddi and Kushti athletes from India, and martial artists and boxers from China. WWE has held similar tryouts in Shanghai, Dubai and Jeddah, which resulted in the signing of eight Chinese recruits, including Tian Bing, the company’s first-ever Chinese Superstar, Shadia Bseiso, the first Arab woman from the Middle East, Nasser Alruwayeh, the first Kuwaiti man, and Kavita Devi, the first Indian woman, to sign with WWE.
Beginning today, the official WWE recruitment website at www.wweperformancecenter.com is now available in German. Tailored to athletes who are interested in pursuing a career in sports-entertainment, the website features information about the WWE recruitment process and provides a detailed look at what day-to-day life is like for NXT Superstars and members of the WWE Performance Center roster.
The online hub includes step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a tryout, as well as access to the official application form; an overview of the many resources available to WWE Performance Center recruits, from professional development and life-skills services, to in-ring training and on-site medical care; photos of the entire Performance Center roster, including current NXT Superstars and champions; biographies of the WWE PC’s industry-leading coaching staff; testimonials from RAW and SmackDown Live Superstars; and videos from past tryouts, both those held at the Performance Center and internationally.
The tryout coincides with WWE LIVE at the Lanxess Arena, Cologne on Wednesday, November 7. WWE LIVE continues the next day on Thursday, November 8 at Festhalle Frankfurt. Tickets are still available at www.eventim.de.
About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global 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, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG, family-friendly programming can be seen in more than 800 million homes worldwide in 24 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 180 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to: WWE Network; major distribution agreements; our need to continue to develop creative and entertaining programs and events; a decline in the popularity of our brand of sports entertainment; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent K. McMahon; possible adverse changes in the regulatory atmosphere and related private sector initiatives; the highly competitive, rapidly changing and increasingly fragmented nature of the markets in which we operate and greater financial resources or marketplace presence of many of our competitors; uncertainties associated with international markets; our difficulty or inability to promote and conduct our live events and/or other businesses if we do not comply with applicable regulations; our dependence on our intellectual property rights, our need to protect those rights, and the risks of our infringement of others’ intellectual property rights; the complexity of our rights agreements across distribution mechanisms and geographical areas; potential substantial liability in the event of accidents or injuries occurring during our physically demanding events including, without limitation, claims relating to CTE; large public events as well as travel to and from such events; our feature film business; our expansion into new or complementary businesses and/or strategic investments; our computer systems and online operations; a possible decline in general economic conditions and disruption in financial markets; our accounts receivable; our revolving credit facility; litigation; our potential failure to meet market expectations for our financial performance, which could adversely affect our stock; Vincent K. McMahon exercising control over our affairs, and his interests may conflict with the holders of our Class A common stock; a substantial number of shares which are eligible for sale by the McMahons and the sale, or the perception of possible sales, of those shares could lower our stock price; and the relatively small public “float” of our Class A common stock. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends (including under our revolving credit facility), general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant. Forward-looking statements made by the Company speak only as of the date made, are subject to change without any obligation on the part of the Company to update or revise them, and undue reliance should not be placed on these statements.
