During the WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2024 post-show, WWE Chief Creative Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque shared more details about the recently launched WWE ID program, designed to develop and support independent wrestlers. Triple H emphasized that the program aims to provide financial assistance to talent on the indie scene while also offering a potential pathway into WWE’s developmental system when they’re ready. Below are some highlights from his discussion:
Triple H on how the WWE ID program works:
“WWE ID so there’s a lot made about our NIL programs, our college athlete recruiting and where we do that, right? But there’s also a group of men, and women that are out there that for whatever reason found their way to professional wrestling, whether that was after college, before college, whatever that is, right? They went a different route than college athletes did. We don’t want to negate any of them. So we’re keeping our eye on all of them. But the independent scene is very difficult. That’s a long, hard road. And we’re trying to make that easier.”
On how they want to financially help the careers of indie wrestlers:
“So we’re trying to pay attention to the people that are at the top of those lists of the people that have the most potential within that grouping. We’re going to support them in their careers financially. We’re going to support them in their careers from an education standpoint. So as they’re going through their journey and as long as they’re continuing to progress, we stay with them. They send us their matches and we’re helping to guide them what they’re doing right, what they’re doing wrong, and how they can progress. How we can make them pros. They can make their way to the Performance Center.”
On their plans for the program in terms of content:
“There will be some other announcements about content and some things that we will to with them. But it’s all geared toward helping those kids as these college athletes get their opportunities to try to make it in this business that they get their opportunities to make it in this business. If somebody is working really hard and they’re busting their ass every week and they’re progressing and they’re continuing to grow, they stay in our system. And, you know, until it’s time for them to outgrow that system.”
On what they will do if someone is not ready to make the move to the WWE PC:
“And if they’re not, we’ll make moves and change some people around and we’ll get to the people that we feel like that long-term investment can pay off. Not just for us but for the industry itself, right? The strength of our business is built on the strength of the athletes across all things. So while we’re extremely excited about NIL and our college recruiting and everything that
We’re doing there, and i think when you look at NXT, you can see a system that is churning out — I mentioned Bron Breakker earlier, right? And churning out athletes, incredible athletes at this is another way for us to amplify that. It’s to strengthen that independency.”
