(Bloomberg) -- At long last, college athletes can get involved in the scripted combat world of pro wrestling while they're still in school, and that's all opportunity for Paul Levesque, better known by his ring name Triple H.
Levesque, representing World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., spent his first full days back at work after a recent health scare assessing around 50 current and former NCAA athletes on a Dallas Cowboys training field. They received basic lessons in acting and public speaking, and learned how to roll and fall convincingly in four rings set up in the north end zone. After a grueling morning, Levesque reminded his prospects that there are plenty of fit people around. But if you don't have personality, you don't have a chance.
“We're making movies,” he told them. “Own it.”
The half-million NCAA student-athletes in the system had long been prohibited from joining the flamboyantly profitable universe of pro wrestling. That changed nine months ago, when the association changed its policy to allow college players to profit from their name, image and likeness (known as NIL), so kids could finally get marketing deals while retaining their eligibility. The development created a massive marketplace for talent overnight. For Levesque and WWE, it created a new way to recruit.
WWE snapped up the prize of its NIL program within months. Last September, it used the new rules to sign Gable Steveson, a 6-foot-1, 265-pound wrestler at Minnesota who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, to an endorsement deal, allowing him to compete in college for another season while retaining a link to WWE. He ended up winning his second national championship and trains at WWE's facilities in Orlando. In December, WWE unveiled the rest of its initial college blitz, adding 15 men and women from athletic programs like Duke basketball, Oklahoma State wrestling and Alabama track-and-field.
The rush to find future stars has grown more urgent, with a Covid-induced lull in live events and competition from promotions such as All-Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Last year, WWE's revenue broke $1 billion for the first time, up 12% from the year prior, but its shares are down 37% from their pre-pandemic peak in 2019.
There's never been an official path into pro wrestling. Eager teens can try to take the leap early, paying to attend wrestling school and hustling to get booked on independent shows across the country. But you often need to know a guy who knows a guy. Through NIL deals and tryout events, WWE is hoping to make that trajectory more distinct.
“The agenda is for a lot of these people to end up with us,” said Levesque. “But let's say they don't. Along the way, they're going to be ambassadors. They're going to talk about WWE and promote us in college.”
WWE has crafted some of its biggest-ever stars from collegiate athletics after their NCAA careers. Kurt Angle was an All-American wrestler at Clarion University, and Brock Lesnar was an NCAA champ at Minnesota. At WrestleMania this weekend, Lesnar is set to square off in the main event of WWE's top annual show with Roman Reigns, who once earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors as a pass rusher at Georgia Tech. John Cena played football at Springfield and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was recruited by Miami, where he won a national title as a backup defensive lineman. Charlotte Flair, daughter of wrestling legend Ric Flair, played college volleyball at Appalachian State.
Dallas is Levesque's first work trip after heart surgery. He'll never wrestle again, but he's OK with that. He's been focused on talent development anyway. While he was out, Levesque's team went to collegiate events and performance testing showcases to scout, including the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and the National Scouting Combine. They also got recommendations from the NFL Players' Association as WWE deepens relationships with pro sports unions and talent agencies.
“There's a professionalism that comes with being a collegiate-level athlete,” Levesque said. “I was working the independents for the last five years and just seeing random shows with random people that call themselves promoters just because they put on a show, right? Cause they own a ring? It's a different level. We're looking for a different level of athlete.”
WWE has about 90 people in its development program, and management wants to boost that number to about 130. Levesque calls them walking billboards when they're on college campuses. They plug the WWE's product and offer a post-graduation route for those who likely won't go pro in their sport.
Lexi Gordon, who averaged nine points a game for the Duke women's basketball team this season, was one of the recruits. She had a full weekend of appearances, including the WWE's hall of fame ceremony. Some potential NIL signings attended too, as WWE prepares to debut its next group in June. Before the NCAA's policy shift, hosting student-athletes like this would've been impossible.
“NIL has been life-changing,” said Gordon, who wants to go pro in basketball but will consider wrestling when she's done. “We're able to market ourselves. We're able to do things we've never been able to do.”
For their final chance to impress Levesque and the other decision-makers on hand, the group delivered promos on an enormous screen in front of a crowd gathered outside. Alexis Lete, a 6-foot volleyball player out of George Washington, dressed like Wonder Woman. She's pursuing an acting career and had no idea if she'd enjoy wrestling. Turns out, flinging herself into the ground and talking herself up big in front of a crowd suits her well.
“It's scary at first,” Lete said. “Once you do it you're a little hooked.”
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