Earlier this month, various college athletes signed a deal with WWE to promote the company and potentially join it once they have finished playing college sports. In a recent interview with Time Magazine, the athletes spoke on why the opportunity made so much sense. The Cavinder Twins, Haley and Hanna, spoke about how they didn’t dream of becoming wrestlers as kids, but say it’s a good fit for them.
“We definitely didn’t grow up wanting to become wrestlers,” said Haley Cavinder, a player on Fresno State’s basketball team. “It just kind of happened. It’s right up our alley because it is entertainment. And that’s what Hanna and I do on the side.”
“I don’t think there’s any concern,” says Hanna Cavinder. “It’s just entertainment. We love connecting with our fans and bringing our audience to their audience and meshing them all together.”
Haley and her sister Hanna were joined by 13 other college athletes from schools across the country as part of its inaugural NIL program, which WWE calls “Next In Line.” The program essentially allows the company to compensate the athletes (with figures ranging from the low five-figures to six-figures) in exchange for social media posts plugging the company, as well as making various appearances. However, athletes are also given access to the WWE Performance Center in Florida, where they’re able to learn and train to become wrestlers if they’d like.
“I’ve heard it so much over the years … ‘if there had been a pathway, man, I would have gone down that road,’” says Paul Levesque, also known as Triple H to many WWE fans. “We’re creating that path.”
WWE revealed the first class of Next In Line signings earlier this month; check out the full list of signees here.
IMPACT Wrestling Champion Moose recently spoke with WrestleZone about the introduction of WWE’s NIL program and if it would have helped him transition into wrestling earlier. Read what Moose had to say about athletes needing to be passionate about the business at this link.
Read More: Triple H Calls WWE’s New NIL Program An ‘Amazing Recruiting Tool’
