WWE to hit college campuses in search of next great superstar
Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and others were originally college athletes
Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and several others transformed their college careers into very successful runs with WWE, and the pro wrestling company is back on the hunt for the next great superstar.
The company on Tuesday announced "WWE Campus Rush" in hopes of finding the next great college athlete. WWE stars Big E, Bianca Belair, Omos, Madcap Moss and Raquel Rodriguez will hit several college campuses across the U.S. to help prospective student-athletes learn about building a career in sports entertainment and how they can utilize WWE’s "Next in Line" (NIL) program to their advantage.
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Minnesota Gopher wrestler Brock Lesnar wrestles Indiana's Michael Dixon. (MARLIN LEVISON/Star Tribune via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"WWE Campus Rush will serve as a core pillar in our commitment to finding the next generation of WWE Superstars among today’s elite college athletes," WWE’s Head of Talent Operations and Strategy James Kimball said in a news release. "The talent pipeline from college sports to WWE has proven to be effective, as evidenced by current champions Roman Reigns and Bianca Belair, and we are looking forward to visiting major college campuses around the country to introduce ourselves in a new way."
The tour begins on Wednesday with the first stop at the University of Mississippi. Then, the WWE will be at Georgia Tech University – where Reigns played college football – on Wednesday.
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Georgia Tech DT Joe Anoai, now known as Roman Reigns, celebrates a forced fumble during the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia on Nov. 25, 2006. (Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The tour continues on October 25 at Clemson University, November 8 at Boise State University, November 9 at the University of Arkansas, November 15 at Ohio State University, December 6 at the University of Kansas and December 7 at Penn State University.
"WWE Campus Rush" will power into 2023 with stops at Florida, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of North Carolina, Texas A&M University, University of Oklahoma, Auburn University, University of Illinois, and Northwestern University. The final dates were not revealed.
WWE debuted its first "Next in Line" class in 2021 and its second class this past June.
The WWE logo. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images / Getty Images)
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The company said three athletes from the inaugural class have joined the company after they graduated from school.