"He pulled me aside" - Britt Baker reveals the real reason why WWE refused to sign her
Britt Baker revealed that she didn't sign a contract with WWE back in 2016 as she was still in dental school at the time.
The reigning AEW Women's Champion opened up about her WWE Tryout experience during a recent appearance on the Talk is Jericho podcast.
Baker began her pro wrestling training in 2015, and it didn't take long for her to attract WWE's attention. However, Canyon Ceman, WWE's Senior Director of Talent Development, pulled Britt Baker aside and informed her why the company might not get her on a full-time deal:
"But, Canyon Ceman, at the time, he was like the gatekeeper for independent wrestlers to get into NXT. He pulled me aside at the end of the tryout. And he was like, 'you know, you've just started dental school. As a father, I have a hard time pulling you from a professional degree.' My heart dropped," revealed Britt Baker.
While Baker was heartbroken by WWE's response, in hindsight, the star was glad she didn't join NXT as she might have had a different career trajectory. Baker was also appreciative of Canyon Ceman, who kept in touch with the wrestler even after the tryout.
"But I owe him the world because I would have left dental school in a heartbeat to go to WWE," she continued. "Because I was young, dumb, and I was like, 'I'm going to be NXT Women's Champion,' like that would have got me far, right? He stayed in touch with me every few months after that. Like, 'let me know when you finish dental school, send me your matches,' he always kept up with me."
Britt Baker was in the WWE Tryout class that included Lacey Evans and Bianca Belair
Britt Baker also admitted that she got the opportunity from WWE solely based on her looks.
The AEW star underwent multiple training drills with the likes of Lacey Evans and Bianca Belair and was under the impression that she was bound to be offered a WWE contract.
Baker added that the talent didn't even have the energy to walk after the tryout session:
"I had a tryout; I was fresh out of training. They gave me a tryout solely based on my looks, 'Oh, this is a cute girl.' I got put in a group after the training was all done, bumps and rolls. We can't even walk by the end of the tryout. It was me, Lacey Evans, and Bianca were the females in Orlando," Britt Baker said. "It was all these extras; they were like testing our range of motion. We were like, 'holy sh*t, we are getting signed.' So we are celebrating, and I still talk to those girls all the time," added the AEW Women's Champion. H/t Wrestling Inc
The 30-year-old star has modeled her on-screen character based on her real-life profession and has since risen to become one of the most recognizable female talents outside WWE.