WWE Announces Next in Line Program for Collegiate Athletes
WWE has announced their own NIL program – Next in Line – to bring in college athletes under the fold of WWE.
NCAA announced a NIL program(Name, Image, Likeness) from July 1, 2021, which provided college athletes with the opportunity to monetize their name, image, and likeness. WWE signed Olympic Gold Medalist Steve Gableson under the same NIL deal back in September 2021.
Now, WWE has announced their own NIL program, dubbed as Next in Line. As per WWE’s press release, the program aims to “enhance the talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds.”
The partnerships with athletes will allow collegiate athletes to continue their careers and education while training with WWE. Athletes will have access to WWE Performance Center as well as professional and career development help.
WWE shifted its strategy for signing and developing new talent with the launch of NXT 2.0. The company has shifted its focus on signing young talent and does not exactly need pro-wrestling experience. NIL program will also provide athletes the opportunity to be offered a WWE contract to work in NXT.
The press release also had comments from WWE Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy and Development Paul Levesque(Triple H), who said that the NIL program has the potential to be transformational for the pro-wrestling business. This is the first comment from Triple H after his cardiac arrest back in September.
Keep tuned in for more news and updates from WWE.
