Former Football Player Set For WWE NXT Level Up Debut

By Sai Mohan

Former college football player Hank Walker (real name Joe Sculthorpe) will make his WWE debut on the 7/1 episode of "NXT Level Up" against Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo.

Walker signed with WWE in March as part of the latest class of recruits to report to the Performance Center in Orlando, FL. He was part of the same class that included the likes of Arianna Grace (Bianca Carelli), Roxanne Perez (Rok-C) and Fallon Henley.

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While announcing Walker's signing, WWE issued the following note about the footballer-turned-wrestler:

A 6-for-2, 305-pound force, Joseph Sculthorpe was an NCAA All-Conference Offensive Lineman at NC State before signing with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent. Originally from Hampstead, N.C., Sculthorpe was a high school state heavyweight wrestling champion.

After earning Third Team All-ACC honors in his final year at NC State, Walker was part of the Atlanta Falcons' preseason training camp in 2021 but didn't make the team's roster.

WWE filed to trademark the name "Hank Walker" on June 8. Thereafter, on June 11, Walker lost to Von Wagner at an NXT live event in Largo, FL. It was his first-ever pro wrestling match.

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Walker's opponent, Lorenzo, has made several appearances on "NXT 2.0" as a member of Tony D'Angelo's stable.

"NXT Level Up" every Friday at 10 PM ET on Peacock/WWE Network. You can find the full lineup for the 7/1 episode below.

* Javier Bernal vs. Duke Hudson

* Hank Walker vs. Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo

* Amari Miller vs. Sloane Jacobs

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