Tag: wwe tryout

Indie wrestler discusses WWE tryout amid signing speculation

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Nikki Blackheart discussed her WWE tryout during a recent interview.

The former CCW (Coastal Championship Wrestling) Champion spoke with O’Shea Jackson Jr. & TJ Jefferson on the No Contest Wrestling Podcast. She talked about the tryout, which was made public via her Instagram a few weeks ago, and how her participation in Bayley’s Lodestone Wrestling Seminar in December 2025 helped prepare her.

Blackheart said: 

“Well the rumors are true. It’s a lot of work. Yes, you have to be ready for it. You have to be ready for it. And I will say I had 3 weeks to really prepare, but honestly because I was just in that mindset already, especially after Lodestone, like I saw how intensely we went. I mean, we were there for hours. We ended up, you know, the first day we were there with Ivy (Nile) and her husband and they ran us through a CrossFit workout and then, you know, we just changed and got in the ring right after that for hours. 

And that hard work is a little glimpse of what to expect, not only in the tryout, but the training that you would get, you know, when you’re preparing to be in the PC. So, after seeing that, I was just like, “Okay, you know, there’s a lot more that I should be doing and could be doing.” revealed Blackheart. 

“So, if I’m being honest, I just started really preparing from there but truly getting in the ring and doing that type of cardio probably 3 weeks in advance. But, yeah, it’s a lot of cardio. There’s a lot of in-ring cardio. Promos, I mean, your promos have to be on point, too. And then for people that were experienced, cuz they divided us into two sections. 

So, there’s the independent talent that have experience in wrestling, and then we had athletes that never stepped in the ring before. So we got, you know, separated into groups. The ones that had experience, we did practice matches. and then, you know, the athletes were learning their roles, their bumps, and all that good stuff.” 

Blackheart emphasized how her growth over the past year enabled her to put her best foot forward for the tryout. Had it been done earlier, she probably would not have been ready. 

“So, I will say the biggest thing is just again, be ready cuz if you get that call and let’s say they’re like, “Oh yeah, you, you know, you get to try out next week.” A week is not enough time to get that, you know, cardio going. I don’t think three weeks but because I had already been in that mindset and working towards it, it wasn’t very difficult. 

Yes. But I was still hanging. So that made me feel really good because if you would have asked me this like last year, I don’t know how, you know, we would have been huffing and puffing a little bit more last year.” 

Blackheart made her wrestling debut in 2024 and was trained by WWE alum Gangrel at the CCW training center.

WWE announces MVP of SummerSlam tryouts

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE awarded an MVP for its recent set of tryouts.

As part of this week’s SummerSlam festivities, WWE held tryouts in New Jersey on Thursday. The WWE Recruit Instagram page released images of several participants, including LJ Clearly, the fiance of Lyra Valkyria.

On Friday, the WWE Recruit page posted footage of Rayne Leverkusen being named the MVP of the tryouts.

“Closing out the #WWE SummerSlam 2025 Tryout with our MVP! Congratulations Rayne and great work to all of the athletes who participated this week!” WWE wrote.

Leverkusen is a London-based wrestler who frequently performs for PROGRESS, EVE, and New Wave Wrestling. She was trained by Sid Scala at Hustle Wrestling Training.

According to a report from Fightful, Goldenboy Santos, Ben Bishop, Omari, CBL, influencer Meghan Walker, Zoe Sager, Mike Cunningham, Anita Vaughn, Will Kroos, Aeduen Beauge, CJ Felder, Ellen Viking, and Ariana Milian were also among those who attended.

WWE has not publicly announced an MVP for a tryout session before.

Brogan Finlay reportedly set for WWE Performance Center tryout

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Brogan Finlay, the youngest child of Fit Finlay, is reportedly set for a WWE tryout.

PWInsider reports that WWE will be holding tryouts at the company’s Performance Center in Orlando, Florida this week. The 21-year-old Brogan is the first name that’s been confirmed for the tryout.

Brogan had his first match in 2021. He trained at AR Fox’s WWA4 Wrestling School in Atlanta, Georgia.

Brogan’s father Fit Finlay is a trainer/coach at the WWE Performance Center.

David Finlay, Brogan’s older brother, is a star for NJPW and is the current leader of Bullet Club.

In 2020, Fit Finlay spoke about Brogan during an appearance on WWE’s The Bump.

“My younger son Brogan is 17, I’ve got him in the ring,” Fit said. “He’s the tallest of [Fit’s children] and he says he’s going to be better than all of us. Brogan’s always up for a challenge. He’s a tough dude.”

GCW is among the independent promotions that Brogan wrestles for. Brogan also had three matches on NJPW Strong between 2021 and 2022.

WWE holding WrestleMania week talent tryout for college athletes

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE’s next talent tryout is set to take place during WrestleMania week.

It was announced today that WWE will hold a multi-day talent tryout at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas during WrestleMania week. The tryout is an invite-only event that’s exclusively for college athletes and recently graduated college athletes.

“WWE will host more than 50 male and female participants with collegiate athletic backgrounds across football, basketball, track and field, wrestling, volleyball, gymnastics, cheer and dance,” WWE wrote. “Several NFL Draft-eligible college football players are scheduled to participate in the invite-only event.”

WWE noted that the tryout attendees will “partake in performance evaluations, individual and group promo evaluations, in-ring technical sessions and sit-down interviews as part of the tryout process. Additionally, current college athletes will participate in assessments as WWE continues its search for the next class of its ‘Next In Line’ program.”

The NIL program was launched last December as a way to create a “clear pathway” from college athletics to WWE. The program was established after the NCAA made it possible for athletes to profit off of their likeness while still in college.

Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson was the first person to sign an NIL deal with WWE. The company also introduced a 15-person inaugural class of NIL signees in December.

The Ford Center is the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys and is the home of the Cowboys’ practice facility. The WWE tryout is a three-day event that will begin on Wednesday, March 30.

WrestleMania 38 is being held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3.

ROH Women’s World Champion Rok-C part of WWE tryouts

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Image: WWE.com

Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion Rok-C took part in WWE’s December tryouts. 

WWE held tryouts at their Performance Center in Orlando, Florida on December 15, 16 and 17. A photo gallery on WWE.com includes several images of Rok-C. 

Rok-C, 20, began training at age 13. She later continued that training under Booker T while working for his Reality of Wrestling promotion. She went on to defeat Miranda Alize in the finals of a tournament to claim the ROH Women’s World title at Death Before Dishonor in September. 

Rok-C appeared at last weekend’s ROH Final Battle event, retaining the ROH Women’s title in a win over Willow Nightingale. After the bout, AAA Reina de Reinas Champion and Impact Wrestling talent Deonna Purrazzo confronted her and challenged her to a match for both the ROH and AAA titles, which Rok-C accepted. 

In addition to Rok-C, it was reported in this week’s Observer Newsletter that several talent used by AEW in the past would be attending the tryouts, including the Renegade Twins, Cole Carter, and Nikita Knight. 

WWE announces list of Performance Center tryout attendees

Posted on by F4W Staff

WWE has announced the list of attendees from their latest Performance Center tryout.

The tryout took place this week and was the last one of 2019. Mixed martial arts fighter Will Brooks, who has fought for Bellator and UFC and is a former Bellator lightweight champion, was among the names in attendance.

Other notable attendees include The Tate Twins (Brandon & Brent) and Anthony Henry. The Tate Twins are a tag team of identical twin brothers who played Dalton Castle’s Boys in ROH, while Henry wrestles for EVOLVE and is a former Tag Team Champion for the promotion.

Here’s the full list of attendees from WWE.com:

  • Pierre Bouquiaux, a 6-foot-8, 265-pounder from Belgium with experience as an IFBB bodybuilder and boxing instructor.
  • Will Brooks, a former Bellator MMA lightweight champion with UFC experience, who currently competes in the Professional Fighters League.
  • Jessie Bush, a referee with seven years of in-ring experience from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  • Zack Carpinello, a.ka. Zack Clayton, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound wrestler from New Jersey, who’s appeared on MTV’s Jersey Shore as “24.”
  • Anthony Catena of Florida, who trained at the New England Pro Wrestling Academy and has competed for independent promotions like Chaotic Wrestling and Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling.
  • 6-foot-5, 295-pound Nigel Cawthon, a four-year starter as a defensive lineman for Hampton University with experience as a decorated high school wrestler in his home state of Virginia.
  • Michael Crandle, a former defensive end for Robert Morris University. The Pittsburgh native competes on the independent scene as Duke Davis.
  • Michael Evans, a 26-year-old athlete from Massachusetts who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 247 pounds. He competed on season 1 of NBC’s “Titan Games.”
  • Steven Felger, a referee from Florida who works for the World Wrestling Network family of promotions.
  • Stevan and Tome Filiposki, a tag team of brothers from Australia who trained at the PCW Academy and have competed around the world as “The Natural Classics.”
  • 24-year-old Stephen Gerard of Illinois, who wrestles under the name Stephen Wolf for promotions like EVOLVE Wrestling.
  • Clifford Fortune, a 270-pound powerlifter who played Division I football at Norfolk State University.
  • Khambrell Gomez, a former football player for Adams State University who also holds the shot put and discus records for the country of Belize.
  • Miles Grooms, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound former college football player at Hampton University with Canadian Football League experience.
  • Nicholas Harmon, a.k.a. “The Dark Horse” Nick Cutler, an 11-year veteran of the squared circle.
  • Anthony Henry, a wrestler with 13 years of experience. Henry competed against NXT Superstar Arturo Ruas on WWE Network during EVOLVE Wrestling’s 10th Anniversary Celebration this past summer.
  • Christopher Heyward III, a 6-foot-2, 354-pound wrestler who competes under the name Calvin Tankman.
  • 30-year-old Gary Jones of Pennsylvania, who has semi-pro football experience and wrestles as Ganon Jones Jr., on the independent circuit.
  • Lauren David Jones of Flint, Michigan, who trained at the House of Truth and competes as Palmer Cruise. He once faced The Brian Kendrick on WWE 205 Live.
  • Matthew Knotts, a 300-pound Florida native who trained for the squared circle with WWE Hall of Famers The Dudley Boyz and Billy Gunn.
  • Ariel Levy, a pro wrestler with three years of experience on the independent scene in his home country of Chile.
  • Khashayar Mirzaei, a.k.a. King Khash, a five-year veteran of the ring with overseas experience in Japan’s Pro Wrestling Zero1.
  • Pingi Moli, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound Utah native who played college football at UNLV and has spent four years as a Hollywood stuntman.
  • Olumide Ogunnaike, a 250-pound bodybuilder and powerlifter from Cleveland.
  • Roman Rozell, a 35-year-old retired Green Beret who walked onto the wrestling team at Arizona State University.
  • Brandon and Brent Tate, 27-year-old identical twins from Tennessee. The two have been wrestling for 10 years, most notably for Ring of Honor, where they were known as “The Boys.”
  • Isaiah Williams, a New Jersey native who was a three-year starter as a wide receiver for the University of Maryland. He also has experience with six NFL teams.
  • Victoria Andreola, a graduate of the Create a Pro wrestling school in New Jersey.
  • Jennifer Michell Cantu Iglesias, a 23-year-old champion powerlifter from Mexico.
  • Chanice Chase, a seven-time All-American athlete at LSU, where she holds the second fastest time in school history in the 400-meter hurdles. She also represented Canada in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
  • 21-year-old Lauren Dodds of London, a competitive bodybuilder with experience in powerlifting.
  • Christine Hartmann, an Orlando native who was a three-year starter in volleyball at the University of Kentucky.
  • Anriel Howard, a 22-year-old Mississippi native who played basketball and ran track for Texas A&M and Mississippi, and was chosen in this year’s WNBA Draft.
  • Irena Janjic, a former trainee of Lance Storm who has been wrestling in Japan for the past seven years, competing for promotions like Sendai Girls and STARDOM.
  • Rebeca Janjigian, an independent wrestler from Texas who competes under the name Christi Jaynes throughout the United States and Mexico.
  • Kara Lazauskas, an amateur MMA fighter who has also competed on NBC’s “Titan Games.”
  • Alexandra Mozeleski, a 25-year-old bodybuilder who has traveled the United States to hone her craft in the squared circle. She competes under the name Alyx $ky.
  • Lainey Nations, an MMA fighter with experience in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and catch wrestling.
  • Rachael O’Leary, a black belt in taekwondo with experience in kickboxing and Muay Thai.
  • Ebony Payne, a Georgia native who is currently a firefighter.
  • Jessica Roden, a 27-year-old athlete from California who started training for the ring earlier this year.
  • Arissa LeBrock, the daughter of actors Kelly LeBrock and Steven Seagal, a professional model from California with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training.
  • Elaine Simon, an Orlando native with seven years of experience in the squared circle.
  • Aja Smith, a 25-year-old who has been competing on the indies for six years under the name Aja Perera.

WWE announces seven Shanghai tryout attendees

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has announced seven of the attendees from this week’s tryout in Shanghai, China.

The four-day tryout began on Monday and will conclude tomorrow. Thirty men and 10 women are participating, with attendees from mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

WWE noted that NXT coaches Matt Bloom, Robbie Brookside, Serena Deeb, and Johnny Moss are leading the tryout. Referee Jessika Carr and NXT’s Xia Li, Boa, Rocky, Reina Gonzalez, and Kona Reeves are also helping out.

Li, Boa, and Rocky were signed after WWE’s first tryout in China in 2016.

Here are the seven names that WWE revealed from this week’s tryout:

Jiang Zhu, a 6-foot-3, 227-pounder from China who has wrestled for Japan’s NOAH organization.

Champion boxer Peng Qu, who stands 6-foot-3, weighs 210 pounds and holds a 14-2-1 professional record. He is widely considered to be one of China’s top boxers.

Japanese wrestler Sojiro Higuchi, a protégé of former WWE Superstar Tajiri who competes under the name Jiro Kuroshio. The eight-year ring veteran has faced the likes of Shinjiro Otani and former ECW Champion Masato Tanaka over the course of his career.

Alexis Lee, a 23-year-old who has been hailed as Singapore’s first female wrestler. Lee brings international experience to the camp, having competed in the United States and Australia, in addition to her native country.

Yuan Gao, a stalwart of China’s We Love Wrestling organization. The 27-year-old goes by monikers such as “The Insolent Devil” and “The Best Wrestler in China.”

Singapore Pro Wrestling co-founder “The Statement” Andruew Tang. In addition to battling Southeast Asia’s top prospects, Tang has fought matches against former WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne and former WWE Tag Team Champion René Duprée.

The self-proclaimed “Queen of Philippine Wrestling” Vernice Crystal Gabriel. Since making her debut in 2016, Crystal has competed throughout Southeast Asia, including in Thailand and Malaysia.

Crystal was originally announced as one of the entrants for last year’s Mae Young Classic, but her name was removed from WWE.com’s announcement soon after it was made.

Ivelisse, Lance Anoa’i attend WWE Performance Center tryout

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Forty athletes are at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida for a tryout this week.

WWE.com posted an article today revealing the list of names attending the tryout. Among those in attendance are Lucha Underground wrestler Ivelisse Velez and Lance Anoa’i, who is Samu’s son and a member of the Anoa’i dynasty.

Ivelisse was given her release from Lucha Underground last month as part of the settlement of a class action lawsuit that was filed against Baba-G Productions and the El Rey Network. She was formerly with WWE developmental from 2011-2012 after appearing on the 2011 edition of Tough Enough.

Anoa’i has made several appearances for MLW over the past 13 months.

Here’s WWE.com’s full list of tryout attendees:

  • Former NFL running back James Wilder currently plays in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder spent three years in the NFL.
  • Emily Andzulis, a martial artist and amateur MMA fighter from Tennessee. Nicknamed ‘The Pitbull,’ Andzulis was crowned the first female Titan on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s athletic competition TV series, ‘The Titan Games.’
  • Taiwan Markis Jones, a 25-year-old footballer from Michigan who played linebacker for Michigan State University and the New York Jets. He stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 235 pounds.
  • Pro football player Chris Martin, age 29. The 6-foot-6, 305-pounder played for the UCF Knights before turning pro in 2014. He’s had stints in the NFL, the Canadian Football League and, most recently, the Alliance of American Football. 
  • Third-generation wrestler Lance Anoa’i. The son of former WWE Tag Team Champion Samu and grandson of WWE Hall of Famer Afa the Wild Samoan, Anoa’i won last weekend’s 23rd annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament, the same event in which Superstars like Daniel Bryan, The Hardy Boyz and Tommaso Ciampa have competed. He attended a WWEPC tryout in February 2017.
  • Jana Angel, a 6-foot-3 volleyball player. After graduating college, Angel played professionally in France in the middle blocker position. She also received an invitation to try out for the U.S. Olympic team.
  • Maritza Ayala, a pink-haired 25-year old who wrestles under the alias Danika Della Rouge. Ayala learned the ropes under the late Buddy Wayne, a veteran of the Pacific Northwest wrestling scene, and has also trained in lucha libre. 
  • 22-year-old Nick Rodriguez, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter and former NCAA wrestler from New Jersey. Rodriguez took bronze at Abu Dhabi Combat Club’s North American East Coast Trials last October, after training in BJJ for only six months.
  • Former WWE Tough Enough competitor and NXT Superstar Ivelisse Velez. A 15-year ring veteran, Velez was known as Sofia Cortez during her tenure in Florida Championship Wrestling and NXT in 2011-2012. She brings international experience to the camp, having wrestled in China, the U.K., Australia and Ecuador.
  • 25-year-old fitness model and former world bodybuilding champion Stephanie Ayala, from Texas.
  • Andrea Benoit, aka NOVA on the independent wrestling scene. The Canadian played volleyball in college and has competed in obstacle course races. Trained by WWE Cruiserweight Classic alumnus Tyson Dux, Benoit made her in-ring debut earlier this year.
  • Former Division I basketball player Jade Cargill of Atlanta. Standing 5-foot-10, Cargill played guard/forward at Jacksonville University. She led the team in rebounds (227) and steals (48) in her final season.
  • 6-foot-7, 265-pound Kristopher Craig. A former college basketball player, the 29-year-old Craig began ring training under WWE Hall of Famer Billy Gunn at the Team 3D Academy in Florida within the past year.
  • Michael Delbrey, a 26-year-old from Florida who competed in CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting events before making his wrestling debut in 2017.
  • Donovan and Leandro Dongo, a pair of hulking brothers from Paramaribo, Suriname. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Donovan is a former super-heavyweight powerlifting champion and national amateur wrestling champion, while Leandro is a 6-foot-6, 250-pound freestyle wrestler who currently works as a firefighter.
  • Joshua Dudley, aka Edgrin Stone, a three-year wrestling veteran from Louisiana. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Dudley played tight end at Nicholls State University before training for the ring at Wildkat Sports and Entertainment.
  • 22-year-old Sierra Erny, who wrestles in Florida under the name Skyler Moore. The former cheerleader and competitive dancer trains at Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley’s Team 3D Academy in Kissimmee, Fla.
  • Independent wrestler ‘The Storm’ Tony Eveland. In 2018, Eveland received the Cauliflower Alley Club’s Active Men’s Wrestler award. He has eight years of ring experience.
  • 25-year-old Australian high-flyer Joshua ‘JXT’ Fikret. Although he has spent most of his career in Australia, Fikret has also wrestled in the United States. He counts Rip Rogers and Orlando Jordan among his past coaches.
  • Former NFL defensive tackle AJ Francis. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 330 pounds., Francis played five years in the pro ranks, including stints with the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins, before transitioning to sports-entertainment. Currently training at the Team 3D Academy, Francis wrestles under the name Suga Bear.
  • 24-year-old Aaron Gillis, a 7-foot, 400-pounder from Ohio. Making his debut a little over a year ago, Gillis wrestles on the U.S. indies as Paxton Calloway. He also played Division II football at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania.
  • Alexandria Gracia, 26, of Texas. Gracia was originally trained at the Texas Wrestling Academy and currently wrestles for Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling. She has competed in women’s wrestling organizations SHIMMER, Shine Wrestling and Rise Wrestling and toured with Stardom, the Japanese promotion where Kairi Sane and Io Shirai came to prominence. 
  • Greco-Roman wrestler Mahmoud Fawzy Sebie, who represented Egypt in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Wrestling since age 7, the 26-year-old has coached U.S. marines in combat training and self-defense and has also studied taekwondo and Jiu-Jitsu.
  • Independent wrestler Randy Kaufman, aka Randall Floyd. Kaufman has trained under Rip Rogers and Al Snow, and he wrestled in the 197-pound weight class at the University of Indianapolis.
  • 325-pound Makini Manu, a former football and rugby player at the University of Utah and Utah Valley University. 
  • 22-year-old wrestler Patrick McAlpine, a trainee of Steve Corino who has made appearances in NXT under the professional alias of Patrick Scott. He stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 195 pounds.
  • Professional bodybuilder EJ Nduka. The 6-foot-6, 265-pounder played pro football for four years and currently trains in mixed martial arts. He attended a tryout in December 2018. 
  • Albanian-born former NFL lineman Kristjan Sokoli. The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder registered a 38-inch vertical leap and a 4.8-second 40-yard dash before the Seattle Seahawks drafted him in 2015. 
  • Cirque du Soleil acrobat Sidney Bateman, 27. Bateman recently took his first steps in the squared circle as part of a joint workshop between the Performance Center and Cirque du Soleil.
  • Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion and former NCAA wrestler Nick Rodriguez loves nothing more than to throw people around in competition.
  • Australian-born wrestler Cadman Edward Turner, a former semi-pro cricket player who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 265 pounds. Currently residing in Canada, where he trains at the  Battle Arts Academy, Turner has attended two previous WWE tryouts.
  • 28-year-old multisport athlete Jeanette Horning. In high school, Horning was the only girl on her varsity wrestling team, and she played kicker for her school’s football squad.
  • Team 3D Academy trainee Ana Kundzicz, 27, from Florida. Kundzicz has experience in dance, acting and singing.
  • 24-year-old Florence Lortie, an independent wrestler from Quebec better known as Flo Riley. Trained by ring veteran Dru Onyx at the Torture Chamber Pro Wrestling Dojo, Lortie has competed in Spain, Ireland and France.
  • Bikini competitor and bodybuilder Lauren Regno, of Modesto, Calif. Regno also competed on NBC’s ‘Titan Games’ competition series.
  • 5-foot-9 Courtney Lynn Roselle, an obstacle course racer who played college basketball for the University of Scranton.
  • Indie wrestler Theresa Lee Schuessler. The 5-foot-7 Floridian has wrestled throughout the U.S., including in NXT, under the professional names of Tenilla and Tesha Price. 
  • 22-year-old Bryce Wollman, a 6-foot-7, 335-pound powerlifter and former college football player. He played Division II ball at Augustana University in South Dakota.
  • Orlando-based wrestler Rafik Youakeem, who competes as Alexander Zane. Youakeem has a background in parkour and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
  • 6-foot-4, 250-pound Jonathan Young from Alabama. A former swimmer at the University of Alabama, Young broke the world record last February for the most pullups in a minute with a 100-pound pack on his back. He’s also a protégé of Lex Luger.