WWE SVP For Global Talent Development: We Want Talent To Enter The Main Roster At 25, Not 35

WWE is set to hold a tryout for college athletes during WrestleMania week with hopes of finding one of the next top WWE superstars. 

In December, WWE launched its NIL program, giving college athletes a direct path to WWE. 

WWE’s NIL program puts an emphasis on younger talent, which James Kimball, WWE’s senior vice president for global talent strategy and development says is a priority. 

“We would like that [age] number to come down, especially on the developmental standpoint. The second you enter our developmental program and then potentially end up on NXT TV and then onto Smackdown or Raw, you want that number to be 25, not 30 or 35,” Kimball told ESPN. “We’re able to develop them in an accelerated manner. Get them to WrestleMania or Raw, do media training, do community events. All those initial exposures to the business, those have been done while you’re still in school. And then you come down to Orlando and off you go.”

When discussing how athletes translate to the world of WWE, Kimball said, “Ideally, you’d like to find a nice blend. It’s understanding how to transfer true athleticism from a given sport to a 20-by-20 ring, understanding spatial awareness and timing. And then it’s the ability to express themselves on a microphone. That becomes a requirement over time, whether you’re a heel or a face, or you’re heavy on promo or even light, at some point you need to be able to tell a story. Even if you come to WWE when you’re 23, 24, 25, that’s a significant improvement over what has historically been the case with some of our developmental talent. We fully support every athlete pursuing their dreams in their given sport. The idea is that we have that opportunity in college to evaluate them as a potential talent, and for them to evaluate us.”

You can learn more about the WWE tryouts during WrestleMania week by clicking here. 

Gable Steveson was the first athlete signed to WWE’s NIL program. He finished up his amateur wrestling career and has plans to be at WrestleMania 38. You can find his comments by clicking here.