Gabi Butler says she has signed with WWE.
Butler, a star of the Netflix show Cheer, shared the news in an interview with PEOPLE, in which she noted that she attended SummerSlam in Nashville and noted that she was “blown away” by the show. The longtime gymnast had focused on cheerleading, so she’s new to the wrestling world. Given her status as a collegiate athlete, her signing is seemingly part of the company’s Next In Line program.
“I was so involved in the cheerleading industry for so long, and I never really looked into anything other than cheerleading,” Butler said. “But when I went to SummerSlam, it really just opened my eyes to the athleticism and the dedication the athletes bring into the ring.”
She highlighted the competitive atmosphere and the performance aspect of the sport; to her, wrestling is a lot like cheerleading.
“It was almost like I was watching a cheerleading competition, but wrestling edition,” Butler joked. “It’s very related to cheerleading because we’re performers, we’re entertainers, we like to put on a show and we also have to be athletic.”
Butler also noted that, while she was at SummerSlam, she talked to WWE Co-CEO Stephanie McMahon, and she credited the latter with inspired her to begin her WWE journey. For now, Butler will train at the Performance Center, but she’s hopeful that she could have a match someday.
“I would definitely love to take that challenge, hopefully in the future,” Butler said. “You have to be committed to be wrestling, that’s for sure. It definitely doesn’t look easy.”
Moving forward, Butler took some time off, but she will continue to cheer, and she stated that she’s currently considering her next move, as she has two years left of eligibility as a collegiate athlete.
