WWE announces Major Independent Wrestling Development program

WWE has announced a “first-of-its-kind” developmental program aimed at independent wrestlers seeking a pathway into the company.

Named WWE ID, the WWE Independent Development program was officially revealed in an article on October 29, 2024.

Per the article on the WWE website:

October 29, 2024 – WWE today announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind developmental program designed to provide up-and-coming independent wrestlers a pathway to a potential career in WWE. The program will be called WWE ID, short for WWE Independent Development™.

“WWE ID is the latest in our efforts to identify and support the journey of up-and-coming wrestlers, in turn raising the profile of and strengthening the independent wrestling ecosystem,” said WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

Following the 2021 launch of WWE’s NIL program, WWE ID has been constructed to support independent wrestling prospects and wrestling schools with world-class training, development and mentorship.

Under the program, WWE will provide prominent independent wrestling schools with the WWE ID official designation, with the goal of providing new trainees and existing talent at these select institutions with enhanced developmental opportunities. Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling (Houston), Cody Rhodes’ Nightmare Factory (Atlanta), Seth Rollins’ Black and Brave Academy (Davenport, Iowa), Elite Pro Wrestling Training Center (Concord, N.H.) and KnokX Pro Academy (Los Angeles) are the first WWE ID independent wrestling schools to earn the official designation.

Additionally, WWE ID will identify top independent wrestling prospects with an official WWE ID “prospect” designation and support their developmental journey by providing financial opportunity and assisting with training, mentorship and development, including access to world-class facilities, best-in-class ring training, athletic trainers and more. WWE ID will give fans the opportunity to follow the paths of these standout prospects on the independent wrestling scene through curated, behind-the-scenes content, as well as highlights and matches showcased across WWE’s social platforms.

To learn more about WWE ID and WWE’s recruiting process, please visit recruit.wwe.com.

The @WWEID Twitter account was also launched with its bio noting “follow the stories of WWE ID Prospects and wrestling schools as they travel the pathway of WWE Independent Development.”

I am excited to see how this will develop across the indie scene that their is that many different independent companies out there who could potentially tap into this.

We at Real Rasslin would.like to here your thoughts on this new programme that wwe has set up and if you think this will only help the independent scene flourish