The WWE Performance Center Spring 2023 rookie class has been revealed.
In a YouTube video posted Thursday, WWE introduced a class of nine new recruits who are set to begin training at the company’s Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
The nine new recruits are:
Ezekiel Balogun, 25 years old, 6 feet 6 inches tall, 238 pounds, born in Nigeria, former University of North Florida basketball player, ASUN Conference Academic Honor Roll 2019-2020.
Vlad Pavlenko, 26 years old, former Iowa State University track & field athlete, three-time All-American.
Hunter Smallback, 23 years old, 6 feet 4 inches tall, 227 pounds, former defensive end at Stetson University.
Coy Wanner, 24 years old, 6 feet 3 inches tall, 247 pounds, former tight end at University of Wisconsin.
Andrzej Hughes-Murray, 25 years old, 6 feet 2 inches tall, 247 pounds, former outside linebacker at Oregon State University, signed with Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
Kevin Robertson, 6 feet 2 inches tall, 290 pounds, former defensive lineman at Temple University.
Melanie Brzezinski, 22 years old, University of Tampa alumni, bodybuilder, CrossFit athlete, karate black belt.
Tylynn Register, 5 feet 6 inches tall, former Jacksonville State University track & field athlete.
Alexis Gray, 25 years old, former Texas Southern University sprinter, born in Bahamas.
Video of the Spring 2023 Rookie Class being introduced is below.
WWE has unveiled its latest group of Performance Center signees.
The class is headlined by former ROH Women’s World Champion Rok-C, who has officially signed with WWE after taking part in two tryouts. The 20-year-old was trained by Booker T at his Reality of Wrestling school and is a former Reality of Wrestling Diamonds Division Champion.
Last September, Rok-C won the ROH Women’s World Championship by defeating Miranda Alize in the finals of a tournament. Rok-C lost the title to Deonnna Purrazzo this January.
WWE has also confirmed that Fallon Henley and Kayla Inlay, who have both already appeared on NXT, have signed with the company. Henley formerly wrestled as Tesha Price and was a regular on AEW Dark. She’s currently aligned with Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen in NXT.
Bianca Carelli, the daughter of former WWE wrestler Santino Marella, is also part of this group of signees. The class consists of 14 people in total, including indie wrestlers Cole Karter, Nikita Knight, “Motherlover” Jake Tucker, and The Notorious Mimi.
Theresa Schuessler who debuted on NXT 2.0 as Fallon Henley, is a 24-year old Tampa, Fla., native with five years of experience under her belt competing in the independent circuit under the name of Tesha Price.
Kayla Inlay has already begun to make a name for herself on NXT 2.0 and NXT Level Up. A former collegiate dancer and cheerleader, Inlay was trained by former WWE Superstar Tyler Breeze after training at his school ‘Flatbacks.’
A 6-for-2, 305-pound force, Joseph Sculthorpe was an NCAA All-Conference Offensive Lineman at NC State before signing with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent. Originally from Hampstead, N.C., Sculthorpe was a high school state heavyweight wrestling champion.
18-year-old Maddie Knisley is a six-time state champion in vault, having trained in competitive gymnastics for 11 years. She also competed on the independent wrestling scene as Nikita Knight.
Calyx Hampton is a 22-year-old former athlete from the University of Oregon having competed on the school’s Acrobatics & Tumbling team, earning NCATA Individual Event National Championship honors.
Mitchell Lavalley has made a name for himself on the independent circuit under the moniker ‘Motherlover’ Jake Tucker. Trained by the likes of WWE Hall of Famer Kane, Natalya, Tyson Kidd, and Dr. Tom Prichard, Lavalley won the 2014 “WWE Show Us Your Superstar” Contest when he was 19, making a series of videos at the WWE Performance Center before appearing on the SummerSlam Pre-Show Panel.
Bianca Carelli, the daughter of WWE Superstar Santino Marella, comes to the Performance Center after earning her Bachelor’s degree in biology from Western University. Carelli has extensive training in MMA fighting with a focus on Judo, Jiu Jitsu and Boxing.
Cole McKinney from Charleston, W.Va., has been honing his craft for over a year and a half already after foregoing wrestling offers from multiple DI Universities to pursue his passion for professional wrestling, going by the ring name Cole Karter on the independents.
Twenty-three-year-old David Bostian of Wilmington, N.C., has been a folkstyle wrestler for 16 years while simultaneously training as a powerlifter.
6-foot-4 Gabe Wai heads to Florida from Corvallis.Ore., following his tenure as a DI Rugby player at Lindenwood University. The 260-pound Army Reservist was projected to be drafted into the Professional Rugby League.
Carla Gonzalez from Pasadena, Texas is better known as Rok-C after graduating from Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling school as the youngest ROW Diamonds Champion.
Nnamdi Oguayo of Beltsville, Md., stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 245 pounds after playing four years on the defensive line for Washington State University.
Edwin Grande was a standout offensive lineman at the University of Idaho and Monterey Peninsula College. The Oakland, Calif., native played for the Houston Blues football team during the 2020 Spring League.
Amelia Herr is an 18-year-old Criminal Justice major out of West Chester, Pa. With two years of Taekwondo training under her belt, she also competed on the independents as The Notorious Mimi.
Six new recruits have officially joined the WWE Performance Center.
WWE announced the latest class of Performance Center recruits on Monday, with it featuring five males and one female. The class includes Bobby Steveson, who is the brother of Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson.
Like Gable, Bobby was an amateur wrestler at the University of Minnesota. WWE has been attempting to recruit Gable, but he’s yet to decide what his future plans are. Gable and fellow gold medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock were honored at SummerSlam earlier this month.
This Performance Center class also includes two members from pro wrestling families. Joseph Fatu, the younger brother of The Usos and the son of Rikishi, has signed with WWE and is part of this class. Fatu has used the name Sefa Fatu in pro wrestling.
Ben Buchanan, the 20-year-old son of former WWE wrestler Bull Buchanan, is also part of this group of recruits.
Brady Booker, Jessica Woynilko, and Joshua Dawkins round out the group of signees. WWE.com’s full write-ups on the recruits are available below:
Minneapolis’ Bobby Steveson, the brother of 2020 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, stands 6-feet tall and weighs 220 pounds. He wrestled at the University of Minnesota, the same alma mater as his brother, former World Champion Brock Lesnar and Raw Superstar Shelton Benjamin.
Twenty-year-old Ben Buchanan is a former Alabama state high school wrestling champion from Ranbourne, Ala. He was undefeated in the 285-pound weight class during the 2019-2020 season. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder is also the son of former WWE Tag Team Champion Bull Buchanan.
Brady Booker comes to the Performance Center from the world of college football, having played middle linebacker at the University of South Dakota. Also a skilled archer, the 21-year old hails from Lasalle, Ill., stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 245 pounds.
Jessica Woynilko is a 21-year-old gymnast, bodybuilder and CrossFit athlete from Prior Lake, Minn. As a gymnast, she specialized in tumbling and trampoline, competing on the 2016 U.S. national team.
Joseph Fatu of Las Vegas is the younger brother of SmackDown Tag Team Champions Jimmy & Jey Uso and the son of WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder has two years’ experience in sports-entertainment and played football in college.
Twenty-three-year-old Joshua Dawkins of DeBary, Fla., is the latest trainee of WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley to be signed to the WWE Performance Center. The 6-foot-1 recruit is also the nephew of NBA legend Darryl Dawkins.
WWE has officially announced its largest-ever group of Performance Center signees.
Among the new additions is former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie. Valkyrie finished up with Impact in January, with it being confirmed earlier this month that she’s signed with WWE.
WWE touted that this group also includes the most female recruits of any Performance Center class ever. WWE stated that there are 10 female signees, though only eight are listed. They are Valkyrie, Booker T trainee and indie wrestler AQA, Lacey Ryan (now known as Zoey Stark in NXT), Priscilla Kelly (now known as Gigi Dolin in NXT), Elayna Black (now known as Cora Jade in NXT), and indie wrestlers Camron Branae, Avery Taylor, and Karissa Rivera.
Japanese women’s wrestler Sareee has signed with WWE but isn’t in listed in today’s announcement. PWinsider reported that Mexican powerlifter Jennifer Michell Cantu Iglesias, who isn’t listed in the announcement, has also signed with WWE.
The group of signees also includes former football players Bronson Rechsteiner (who is Rick Steiner’s son), Parker Boudreaux, and Matrick Belton, former Impact World Champion Eli Drake (now known as LA Knight in NXT), indie wrestlers Anthony Henry, Harlem Bravado, Christian Casanova, and Blake Christian, and amateur wrestlers Drew Kasper and Joe Ariola.
– Bronson Rechsteiner, the son of former WCW and WWE Tag Team Champion Rick Steiner, comes to WWE from the gridiron. At 6 feet tall and 230 pounds, he was an All-American running back at Kennesaw State University.
– Kira Magnin-Forster, known to wrestling fans as Taya Valkyrie, is an 11-year veteran of the squared circle. A classically trained ballerina, Forster learned wrestling under Lance Storm before breaking out in Mexico for the AAA promotion. She has competed around the world since.
– Shaun Ricker, who recently debuted on NXT television as LA Knight, is a former NWA Television Champion and has competed against Drew McIntyre, John Morrison and Jeff Hardy.
– Angela Arnold trained for the squared circle under WWE Hall of Famer Booker T. Competing as AQA, she’s impressed in action for Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling promotion, as well as SHIMMER.
– Parker Boudreaux of Winter Garden, Fla., stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 300 pounds. The big man was an offensive lineman for the University of Central Florida and has caught the eye of Paul Heyman on social media.
– Anthony Henry is a standout competitor from EVOLVE Wrestling and has competed on WWE Network. He’s been in the ring with Superstars like The Street Profits, current NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch, Nash Carter of MSK, and Roderick Strong.
– Chance Barrow, better known to fans as Harlem Bravado, is a veteran of the independent scene. The North Carolina native has found success as a singles and tag team competitor and made his way to Japan to compete for Pro Wrestling NOAH.
– Theresa Serrano [formerly known as Lacey Ryan], now competing as Zoey Stark, debuted for NXT in the first-ever Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Her intense in-ring style has made her a standout for the black-and-gold brand in short order.
– Christian Brigham is a Massachusetts native with six years of experience in the ring, under the name Christian Casanova.
– Priscilla Kelly, now going by Gigi Dolin, competed in the 2018 Mae Young Classic and returned to WWE for the first-ever Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in NXT.
– Drew Kasper is the brother of Jacob Kasper, who joined the WWE PC in October 2020. The 285-pounder was a two-time All-American heavyweight wrestler for Otterbein University and was the No. 1 seeded wrestler in the NCAA Division III tournament before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
– Brianna Coda [formerly known as Elayna Black], now known as Cora Jade, is a 19-year-old Illinois native who’s been competing in the ring since 2018 and who debuted for NXT in the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
– Christian Hubble is a former college cheerleader who has broken out on the independent scene in recent months. The Tennessee native made a name for himself under the moniker Blake Christian in promotions like Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Game Changer Wrestling.
– Matrick Belton played Division I football for the University of South Carolina and has attended training camps for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. He has prepared for the rigors of the ring by training at the Combat Zone Wrestling Academy in New Jersey.
– Camron Clay has been competing in the ring for four years under the name Camron Branae and has been in the ring with the likes of NXT’s Shotzi Blackheart.
– Joe Ariola is a 25-year-old amateur wrestler from Oak Park, Illinois. An undefeated state champion and national champion in high school, Ariola wrestled for the University of Buffalo in college, qualifying for the NCAA tournament in 2016.
– Taylor Grado of Clearwater Beach, Fla., competed as Avery Taylor for promotions like EVOLVE and SHINE.
– Karissa Rivera of New Jersey has made a name for herself on the independent wrestling scene for promotions like NEW and Women’s Wrestling Revolution.
Two members of The Rascalz have signed with WWE and been introduced as part of the latest class of Performance Center recruits.
WWE unveiled their latest group of signees today, confirming that The Rascalz’s Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz have signed with the company. Their farewell match for Impact Wrestling aired two weeks ago and featured Wentz & Xavier losing to Trey Miguel & Rich Swann.
Xavier & Wentz are the current PWG Tag Team Champions and have held the titles since April 2018. PWG is currently on hiatus from running shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alex Zayne, Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio, and Rust Taylor have also signed with WWE, along with former college basketball and WNBA player Anriel Howard. WWE’s full announcement is available below:
The latest class of recruits has reported for training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla. The group brings a wide array of experience to the WWE PC, including independent and international wrestling experience as well as in professional sports.
Deveon Everheart Aiken, better known to fans as Dezmond Xavier, brings a dazzling array of aerial offense to the PC. Aiken, a nine-year-veteran of the squared circle, has competed for promotions including Combat Zone Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Impact Wrestling.
Zachary Green, aka Zachary Wentz, is a frequent tag team partner of Aiken’s. The 26-year-old Ohio native is also a former MMA fighter.
Alex Brandenburg competed under the name Alex Zayne on the independent scene. The Kentucky native has made a name for himself in promotions like Game Changer Wrestling, Black Label Pro and Ring of Honor during his 15-year career.
Sojiru “Ikemen” Higuchi is a 26-year-old wrestler from Japan who was trained by former United States and WWE Tag Team Champion Tajiri, and he has competed for Wrestle-1 and All-Japan Pro Wrestling.
Twenty-three-year-old Georgia native Anriel Howard played college basketball at Mississippi State and Texas A&M. She was selected in the 2019 WNBA Draft, and played professionally for the Seattle Storm.
Russ Taylor of Phelan, Calif. brings plenty of global experience to the WWE PC. Taylor has competed for wXw in Germany, as well as in Japan and across the United States.
Zayne and Taylor have also wrestled for NJPW of America. Taylor was an entrant in ROH’s Pure title tournament this year, losing to Tracy Williams in the first round.
