WWE announces 9 new recruits training full time at the Performance Center

WWE today announced that a new class of nine recruits, including a former NFL player, collegiate wrestler, U.S. Army veteran and talent from independent wrestling circuits, has begun training at the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

“WWE is constantly scouting the world for the most talented athletes and entertainers,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “This new class will have every opportunity to fulfill their dreams of becoming a WWE Superstar, as they train out of the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.”

The new training class includes six men and three women.

The men are: Alvin Abitz from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, a US Army veteran who stands 6’6” and weighs 285 pounds; Theophilus Agbi  from Brooklyn, New York, a former member of the NCWA All-American team in 2013 and 2015 and who’s 6’5” and 270lbs; Demitrius Bronson from Gilbert, Arizona, a former running back for the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins. He’s 5’11” and 215lbs; Tom Budgen from Amsterdam, Holland, an indie wrestler who goes by the name of Tommy End and who wrestled for ICW, PROGRESS, wXw, Evolve, PWG, and others; Chris Lindsey from Tampa, Florida, who is better known to fans as Roderick Strong. He already made his NXT debut. He was trained by Jim Neidhart and has more than 13 years of experience on the indie circuit; Damian Mackle from Belfast, Ireland, who trained with Finn Balor and WWE PC trainer Robbie Brookside. He wrestled for ICW, NJPW and TNA in the past.

The three women are: Sarah Bridges from Sellersburg, Indiana, better known as Crazy Mary Dobson. She has wrestled for ICW, wXw, and has trained out of the Kaientai Dojo in Japan; Taynara Melo de Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a 5’6” 125lbs black belt in Judo. She has participated in the 2016 Olympic trials in Rio; Victoria Gonzalez from Harlingen, Texas, another indie wrestler whose father, Ricky Gonzalez, worked with Shawn Michaels at the Texas Wrestling Academy.

The new class will join a group of more than 65 men and women training at the WWE Performance Center.