WWE Superstar reacts to the company's "Campus Rush" recruitment tour
Angelo Dawkins has reacted to WWE announcing the "Campus Rush" recruitment drive. During the initiative, camps will be held at top NCAA Division 1 universities to find and recruit athletes to the company.
The promotion's "Next In Line" program has thus far offered NIL contracts to several collegiate athletes. After the NCAA allowed these athletes to sign contracts and make money off of their likenesses in 2021, WWE signed Olympic Gold medallist wrestler and three-time All-American Gable Steveson. Since then, the company has signed over two-dozen collegiate athletes in two separate classes.
The "Campus Rush" tour seems like another effort by the company to bolster its ranks with the nation's top athletes. This is also in line with rumors that Vince McMahon wanted to sign more athletes than wrestlers from the indies. It seems that despite his departure from the Stamford-based promotion in July, there remains a focus on signing athletes.
"Multi-campus college athlete recruitment tour which will visit top NCAA Division I universities in search of the next generation of WWE Superstars." The company stated on Twitter.
Dawkins, who was himself a three-sport athlete back in his days in college, reacted to the announcement of "Campus Rush" on Twitter with the "side-eye emoji.
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Who are some former collegiate athletes who became massive WWE Superstars
Despite a recent massive push towards signing athletes with no experience in pro-wrestling, WWE hasn't been shy about signing athletes from other sports in the past.
The most prominent example of this phenomenon is the current RAW Women's Champion Bianca Belair. She was a track and crossfit athlete for the University of Tennessee. She turned to pro wrestling due to a physical defect in 2016. She is now at the top of the Women's division of the company.
Before signing with WWE in 2002, Brock Lesnar was the NCAA Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. During his eight years away from promotion in 2004-12, he tried out of the NFL and became UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Fun Fact: Brock Lesnar is the only man to become NCAA,UFC and WWE Champion https://t.co/bplz5npSB6
Another athlete who turned to professional wrestling after an injury was Ettore Ewan, better known as Big E. After an injury ended his football and powerlifting career, he gave a tryout to then-feeder-promotion Florida Championship Wrestling in 2009. He then went on to become the second-ever NXT Champion, IC Champion, and a World Champion in his decade-long career.
Of course, when naming former athletes who turned to WWE after their professional careers, one cannot forget the company's first Olympic gold medallist and Hall of Famer Kurt Angle. In a similar vein, former Olympian Chad Gable plies his trade in the company too.
There are also names like Omos, Madcap Moss, Raquel Rodriguez, etc, who all had a history in collegiate sports before turning to pro wrestling. The company obviously believes its future stars will be college athletes rather than wrestlers from the independent circuit.