WWE's Latest Developmental Class Does Not Feature Any Independent Wrestlers

With new management now in charge of WWE following Vince McMahon's retirement, including Triple H as new WWE Head of Creative/Head of Talent Relations, there had been some speculation, and even some reports, suggesting that WWE may be looking at bringing in more independent wrestlers for tryouts, as opposed to focusing on former athletes only. At least for the moment though, it appears WWE is sticking with their current process, even more so than they did with their previous tryout.

On the company website earlier Tuesday, WWE unveiled their latest Performance Center class, consisting of 17 potential prospects. Of the prospects, none of the 17 had any previous wrestling experience, a contrast to the most recent class this past March, which featured eight pro wrestlers, including Roxanne Perez, in addition to several athletes. The most notable name among the August Performance Center class is Bellator Fighter Valerie Loureda. Loureda's inclusion will come as a shock to no one, as the 23-year-old Loureda had announced her signing with WWE earlier this year, after having done two tryouts for the promotion in April and May. She had previously stated she would begin training at the WWE Performance Center in July.

Joining Loureda in the class are amateur wrestler Tracy Hancock, former football players Houston Miller, Tiller Bucktrot, Antoine Frazier, Roman Macek, and WWE NIL Athlete Joe Spivak, Track & Field All-American Daniel McArthur, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Giovanna Eburneo, among others. Though it was not specified, it is likely several of these prospect signings were a result of WWE's recent SummerSlam tryouts, where the promotion reportedly signed 14 names out of a reported 50 athletes who tried out.