5 WWE Superstars who are pure Performance Center products
The WWE Performance Center was opened on July 11, 2013. For the past 8 years, the company's wrestling school has had an illustrious list of alumni that have ruled the industry.
From Seth Rollins to Jon Moxley to Adam Scherr, the PC has produced top superstars in different promotions all over the world. It has been a hub for training both wrestlers from the independent scene and elite athletes from outside the industry in the company's in-ring and promo style. It has also been used as a physical rehabilitation center for injured superstars.
Under the tutelage of legends such as Matt Bloom, Dusty Rhodes, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, hundreds of recruits have trained in the Performance Center. The main purpose of the center is to produce homegrown superstars, who can make it onto the company roster without having any prior experience in the industry.
Here are five WWE superstars who are pure Performance Center products.
#5: Alexa Bliss is a WWE Triple Crown Champion despite having no wrestling experience before joining the company
"I challenge you to do to me, what you did to him." — @AlexaBlissWWE
#WWERaw @RandyOrton https://t.co/YIUbGRV0g1
Alexa Bliss joined WWE in May 2013 without any prior wrestling training. The second female Triple Crown champion in the company's history, a former cheerleader and track, softball and gymnastics athlete, showed natural aptitude for the business.
Within a year, Five Feet Of Fury made her in-ring TV debut on NXT, and was called up to the main roster within three years. It took her only four months to capture the Smackdown Women's championship, completing her rise to the top. Little Miss Bliss has gone on to capture the RAW and Tag Team Championships along with the Money In The Bank contract.
Bliss is one of the best homegrown products in Performance Center history.
#4: Happy Corbin joined the WWE Performance Center as a former boxer and football player
Will it be the HAPPIEST #WrestleMania of all time for @BaronCorbinWWE this Saturday?
#WWERaw https://t.co/yi7FQ3xnj1
Happy Corbin joined WWE in 2012 as an enhancement talent, then known as Baron Corbin. He then underwent training at the Performance Center, re-debuting in September 2014. He then spent almost two years on the black and gold brand before joining the main roster.
Corbin has since racked up an impressive list of achievements, including winning the Money In The Bank briefcase, King of the Ring, and the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. The former United States champion and RAW commissioner also retired Hall of Famer Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 35.
The Lone Wolf has risen from the Performance Center to become one of the best heels in the business.
#3: Liv Morgan began her WWE journey by being discovered at a gym
Walking into #WrestleMania weekend like...
@RheaRipley_WWE @YaOnlyLivvOnce #SmackDown https://t.co/xhpIWg5GLH
Liv Morgan is a lifelong WWE fan. The former Riott Squad member has repeatedly recounted how she idolized Lita as a child. However, prior to signing for NXT, Morgan was a cheerleader and model. She trained at the Performance Center before debuting almost a year later.
Morgan debuted on the main roster as part of the Riott Squad, competing in the tag team division until the group was dissolved. She has kicked on, grinding her way to becoming one of the most beloved babyfaces in the company. Although she has not captured any gold yet, she is surely a future champion.
#2: Bianca Belair went straight from Track and Field athletics to WWE superstardom
We won't stop saying this:
𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗧 🤩
@BiancaBelairWWE | #WrestleMania https://t.co/tPYzVZfBRP
Bianca Belair is a WWE trailblazer. The EST is not only the first black woman (and second black superstar after The Rock) to win the Royal Rumble, but she is one of only two women to ever win a WrestleMania main event, along with her opponent at this year's Show of Shows, Becky Lynch.
In light of all these remarkable achievements within two years of her main roster debut, it's easy to forget that the former SmackDown women's champion did not have any professional wrestling experience before joining the company.
Coming off a premature end to her CrossFit career, Belair signed in 2016, beginning her wrestling career at the Performance Center. She has been making history ever since.
#1: Ronda Rousey transitioned from MMA to WWE purely through the Performance Center
Two generational talents clash at #WrestleMania 38!
#SmackDown @MsCharlotteWWE @RondaRousey https://t.co/XciDxd9imA
Ronda Rousey is quite possibly the most famous WWE Performance Center trainee ever. The UFC Hall of Famer joined the Center in 2018 while preparing for her widely acclaimed in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34.
After graduating from the Center, The Rowdy One went on to win the RAW Women's Championship within four months of debuting before headlining the first all-women premium live event in 2018. Rousey capped off her first run by taking part in the first Women's WrestleMania main event.
Having won the 2022 Royal Rumble upon her return, The Baddest Woman on The Planet looks set to break more records and collect a lot more accomplishments. She is likely to go down in history as the best pure Performance Center trainee of all time.