 | |
| Acronym | WWE ID |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Paul "Triple H" Levesque Gabe Sapolsky |
| Owner | TKO Group Holdings |
| Parent | WWE |
| Sister | WWE Next in Line |
| Website | Official website |
 | |
| Acronym | WWE NIL |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Vince McMahon Paul "Triple H" Levesque |
| Owner | TKO Group Holdings |
| Parent | WWE |
| Sister | WWE Independent Development |
| Website | Official website |
WWE Recruit is adevelopmental system created by Americanprofessional wrestling promotionWWE. It includes theWWE Independent Development (WWE ID) andWWE Next in Line (WWE NIL) programs.[1] The system supports the training and development of athletes at certain wrestling schools, wrestling promotions, and colleges.
On December 2, 2021, WWE established the WWE NIL program, which exclusively supports college athletes who decide to train as wrestlers. After the launch of WWE NIL, the WWE ID program was launched on October 29, 2024 to develop and support the training ofindependent professional wrestlers.[2] The wrestling schools and promotions initially designated with WWE ID wereReality of Wrestling, Black and Brave Academy, Nightmare Factory, Elite Pro Wrestling Training Center, and KnokX Pro Academy.[3][4] KnokX Pro Academy was later removed from the WWE ID program in August 2025.[5]
Prior to the 2020s, WWE had used several methods to train its future on-screen talent. This included partnering with other promotions to act asdevelopmental territories, includingFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW),Deep South Wrestling (DSW), andOhio Valley Wrestling (OVW) among others. In 2010, WWE establishedNXT as an in-house televised developmental brand, which became the major pathway to the promotion's main roster.
In 2021, WWE established theWWE Next in Line (WWE NIL) program, which exclusively supports American-based college athletes who decide to train as wrestlers. The program was launched as an extension ofNCAA-approvedname, image, and likeness policies.
In June 2024, WWE trademarkedWWE ID andWWE Independent Development with the purpose of organizing and conducting a program to help develop wrestlers. That October, WWE ID was officially announced, which would support the development ofindependent wrestlers at specified schools or promotions and provide them a pathway to the promotion. The first schools and promotions designated under WWE ID wereReality of Wrestling (run byBooker T), Black and Brave Academy (run bySeth Rollins and Marek Brave), Nightmare Factory (run byCody Rhodes), Elite Pro Wrestling Training Center, and KnokX Pro Academy (run byRikishi). On November 9,Fightful reported thatTimothy Thatcher had been signed as the WWE ID trainer.[6] In addition to Thatcher, it was later reported byYahoo! Entertainment thatSean Waltman had been hired as an ID trainer.[7]
On February 1, 2025, during the2025 Royal Rumble, WWE announced the launch ofWWE Evolve, aTubi program based on the defunct independentEvolve promotion ran by WWE ID co-founderGabe Sapolsky.[8] The program, which premiered on March 5, 2025, features both WWE ID prospects andPerformance Center trainees. On February 18, WWEchief content officerPaul "Triple H" Levesque announced the creation of theMen's WWE ID Championship andWomen's ID Championship, the championships will be defended in WWE and on the independent circuit.[9] On August 1, duringSummerSlam weekend, independent wrestling promotionGame Changer Wrestling held their WWE ID Showcase event atThe Williams Center inRutherford, New Jersey, which sawCappuccino Jones crowned the inaugural Men's ID Champion andKylie Rae become the inaugural Women's ID Champion.[10]
On August 23, 2025, an incident occurred at a WWE ID-affiliated KnokX Pro event, where Raja Jackson, son of formerUFC Light Heavyweight ChampionRampage Jackson,legitimately beat independent wrestlerSyko Stu unconscious.[11] The attack waslivestreamed by Raja onKick.[12] After the incident, KnokX Pro removed mentions of WWE ID from their branding, with Mike Johnson ofPro Wrestling Insider writing that it "would appear WWE has severed ties with the promotion and academy as part of the fallout of the Raja Jackson incident".[13] On August 25, the KnokX Pro Academy was removed from the list of WWE ID-affiliated schools featured on the WWE Recruit site.[5]
| Ring name | Real name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brad Baylor[14] | Brad Baylor | Scouted fromWrestling Open |
| Jack Cartwheel[15] | Jack Summit | Scouted fromGame Changer Wrestling |
| Mike Cunningham[16] | Mike Cunningham | Scouted from Nightmare Factory |
| Jackson Drake[17] | Jackson Drake | Scouted from Fire Star Pro Wrestling WWE Evolve Champion |
| Yayne Harrison[18] | Yanic Brouillette | Scouted from IWS Training Centre |
| Sam Holloway[19] | Samuel Hettich | Scouted fromInternational Wrestling Cartel |
| It's GAL[20] | Gal Barkay | Scouted from Elite Pro Wrestling Training Center andWrestling Open |
| Cappuccino Jones[21] | Unknown | Scouted from This Is Wrestling WWE ID Champion |
| Eli Knight[16] | Unknown | Scouted fromReality of Wrestling and The Foundation of Professional Wrestling |
| Sean Legacy[22] | Sean Rossini | Scouted from Pro Wrestling Revolution andPro Wrestling Noah |
| Marcus Mathers[23] | Marc Mattiacci | Scouted fromGame Changer Wrestling |
| Jha'Quan McNair[16] | Jha'Quan Anderson | Scouted from Team Fearless Training Academy |
| Aaron Rourke[24] | Aaron Rourke | Scouted from Create A Pro Wrestling Academy andBeyond Wrestling |
| Ricky Smokes[25] | Unknown | Scouted fromChaotic Wrestling |
| Ring name | Real name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Laynie Luck[26] | Unknown | Scouted from Wrestling Open RI Women's ID Champion |
| Zoe Sager[27] | Zoe Sager | Scouted from Northern Crown Wrestling |
| Name | Sport(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brock Rechsteiner[30] | Football | Scouted fromJacksonville State University |
| Carlos Aviles | Track & Field | Scouted fromThe Ohio State University |
| Desmond Coleman | Track & Field | Scouted fromLiberty University |
| Garrett Beck | Lacrosse | Scouted fromGrand Canyon University |
| Hidetora Hanada[31] | Football | Scouted fromColorado State University |
| Jacob Henry | Football and Wrestling | Scouted fromUniversity of Oklahoma |
| Jeremy Cody | Track & Field | Scouted fromUniversity of Miami |
| KeShaun Moore | Football | Scouted fromHampton University |
| Maliq Carr | Football and Basketball | Scouted fromMichigan State University |
| Ruben Banks | Track & Fields | Scouted fromUniversity of Arkansas |
| Slane Glover | Cheerleading | Scouted fromThe Ohio State University |
| Thaddeus 'TJ' Bullard Jr. | Football | Scouted fromUniversity of Central Florida |
| Zachary Knighton-Ward | Wrestling | Scouted fromHofstra University |
| Name | Sport(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bianca Pizano | Field Hockey | Scouted fromMichigan State University |
| Fatima Katembo | Basketball | Scouted fromLSU-Shreveport |
| Gina Adams | Basketball | Scouted fromLynn University |
| Grace Stephens | Track & Field | Scouted fromMonmouth University |
| Kali Terza | Track & Field | Scouted fromKennesaw State University |
| Kerrigan Huynh | Track & Field | Scouted fromUniversity of Central Oklahoma |
| Madison Kaiser | Hockey | Scouted fromUniversity of Minnesota |
| Mikala Hall | Basketball | Scouted fromCentral Michigan University |
| Zuriel Jimenez | Track & Field | Scouted fromColumbia University |
| WWE ID | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | Current champion | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Notes | Ref. | ||
| WWE ID Championship | Cappuccino Jones | 1 | August 1, 2025 | 118 | Rutherford, New Jersey | DefeatedJack Cartwheel in a tournament final to become the inaugural champion atGame Changer Wrestling's event, The ID Showcase. | [32] | ||
| WWE Women's ID Championship | Laynie Luck | 1 | November 17, 2025 | 10 | Cranston, RI | This was aWrestling Open Rhode Island event. Luck won a 6 women scramble at the start of the event versus Angelica Risk, Jordan Blade, Kaitlyn Marie, Lili Ruiz, and Nixi XS to win a spot in the main event where she outlasted Airica Demia, Brittnie Brooks,Notorious Mimi, Tiara James, and Shannon LeVangie to win the Championship and a WWE ID contract. | [33] | ||