wwe nil next in line
Photo Credit: WWE

Inaugural WWE Next In Line Class Revealed; Group Includes The Cavinder Twins And A.J. Ferrari

WWE announced its inaugural class of Next In Line recruits.

On Wednesday, WWE confirmed the first 15 names included in its new NIL (Next In Line) program; the class includes TikTok stars and Fresno State basketball stars the Cavinder Twins and Oklahoma State wrestling star AJ Ferrari.

From WWE:

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE: WWE) today unveiled 15 college athletes who will be among the first to participate in the company’s newly formed NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) program that provides a clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE.

The inaugural “Next In Line™” class includes athletes from 13 universities, seven NCAA conferences and four sports. In addition to the United States, the class includes representation from myriad countries spanning from Canada and Nigeria. The following 15 athletes join Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson in WWE’s first-of-its-kind NIL program:

Name

School

Sport

Height/Weight

Hometown

Carlos Aviles

Ohio State

Track & Field

6’ 6”, 305 lbs.

Ventura, Calif.

Haley Cavinder

Fresno State

Basketball

5’ 6”

Gilbert, Ariz.

Hanna Cavinder

Fresno State

Basketball

5’ 6”

Gilbert, Ariz.

A.J. Ferrari

Oklahoma State

Wrestling

6’, 200 lbs.

Dallas, Texas

Lexi Gordon

Duke

Basketball

6’

Fort Worth, Texas

Aleeya Hutchins

Wake Forest

Track & Field

5’ 5”

Toronto, Canada

John Krahn

Portland State

Football

7’, 400 lbs.

Riverside, Calif.

Glen Logan

LSU

Football

6’ 5”, 305 lbs.

Kennar, La.

Isaac Odugbesan

Alabama

Track & Field

6’ 4”, 275 lbs.

Lagos, Nigeria

Mason Parris

Michigan

Wrestling

6’ 2”, 275 lbs.

Lawrenceburg, Ind.

Masai Russell

Kentucky

Track & Field

5’ 5”

Potomac, Md.

Jon Seaton

Elon

Football

6’ 1”, 285 lbs.

Hillsborough, N.J.

Joe Spivak

Northwestern

Football

6’, 300 lbs.

Lombard, Ill.

Dalton Wagner

Arkansas

Football

6’ 9”, 330 lbs.

Spring Grove, Ill.

Riley White

Alabama

Track & Field

5’ 6”

Hoover, Ala.

WWE’s NIL program was announced last week following the NCAA’s historic new policy that took effect on July 1, 2021, which has ushered in the NIL era allowing college athletes the ability to monetize their name, image and likeness. The comprehensive program serves to recruit and develop potential future Superstars, and further enhances WWE’s talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds.

All athlete partnerships will 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, communications, live event promotion, creative writing and community relations. Upon completion of the NIL program, select athletes may earn an exclusive opportunity to be offered a WWE contract.

Learn more about the “Next In Line” program at WWE.com/NIL.

Earlier this year, WWE also signed Gable Steveson to a multi-year contract under the NIL rules; he was drafted to the RAW brand and is currently enrolled at the University Of Minnesota.

Read More: Gable Steveson On What Drew Him To WWE, Appearing At SummerSlam, More

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