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Today’s Case

WWE signs 14 new athletes to its NIL (Next In Line) Program

NIL has moved up to the top rope. (IYKYK)

Earlier this week, WWE announced the signing of 14 college athletes to its award-winning NIL program, dubbed Next In Line, that provides a clear pathway from college athletics to WWE.

The class includes a trio of firsts: First acrobatics athlete (Bayley Humphrey from Baylor University), first baseball player (Adam Berghorst from Indiana State) and first male cheerleader (Slane Glover from Ohio State).

All athlete partnerships feature access to the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., in addition to resources across the organization including brand building, media training, live event promotion, creative writing and community relations. Upon completion of the NIL program, athletes may earn an exclusive opportunity to be offered a WWE contract.

The Next In Line program has signed 60 college athletes since its inception in December 2021, which includes athletes from 15 different sports across 42 members of Power Five conferences. The program serves to recruit and develop potential future Superstars and continues to enhance WWE’s talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds.

The Verdict

• Great pipeline to carry on athletics career via NIL

  • This continues to be a great strategy for WWE to leverage college athletes to build the future generation of superstars.

  • This also provides viable options for athletes who play sports with limited professional opportunities, yet still want to be involved in sports for some capacity.

• Success rate is low

  • Of the 60 Next In Line athletes signed, only 7 are on full-time contracts and train at the WWE Performance Center.

    • This is due to a myriad of reasons: Not developing well with wrestling technique and mic work, injuries, lack of character development, etc. So the harsh reality is that for the new class of 14 Next In Line athletes signed, look for only 1 or 2 to ever make it on TV.

• Will the Cavinder Twins compete?

  • A previous Next In Line class included basketball players and twins Haley and Hanna Cavinder. However, they have not yet begun their training (and Haley is transferring to TCU without Hanna), so they may never step foot inside a WWE ring.

    • However, they still may be used for promotional videos and marketing materials, so let’s see how it plays out.

Student-athletes: Finalize your 2024 NIL goals now!

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