From one of NXT’s most highly publicized signings of all time to a 7-foot-3 giant, the WWE Performance Center’s newest roster members reported for orientation this week at WWE’s training facility in Orlando, Fla.
The group of seven, headlined by former wrestling champion Matt Riddle, features standouts from the U.S. and international independent scenes, as well as aspiring Superstars from the worlds of rugby and basketball.
Check out the full rundown below.
“The King of Bros” Matt Riddle was announced as NXT’s newest blockbuster signee at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV in August. He rose to the top of the international circuit after a successful career in professional MMA, which included a winning record in UFC’s welterweight division. Considered one of the top strikers and submission artists in sports-entertainment, Riddle captured championships in the U.K.’s PROGRESS Wrestling and the U.S.-based EVOLVE Wrestling, among other organizations. He made his NXT in-ring debut at a Live Event in Florida in September, defeating Fabian Aichner.
WWE fans recognize Mia Yim from the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Mae Young Classic. After making it to the Second Round in the inaugural tournament, the California native advanced to the Quarterfinals in this year’s event, where she lost to Toni Storm but received “Please sign Mia” chants from the WWE Universe, which led to WWE COO Triple H offering her a contract. A training partner of Shayna Baszler and Jessamyn Duke, Yim made her ring debut in August 2009. She is set to make her NXT TV debut this Wednesday on WWE Network.
Canadian grappler Chelsea Green has competed around the world, wrestling in faraway places like India and Australia, as well as throughout North America. A product of Lance Storm’s Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary (the same school where Tyler Breeze, Peyton Royce and Oney Lorcan trained), Green first came onto the WWE Universe’s radar as a competitor in the 2015 season of WWE Tough Enough. Before wrestling, Green was a multi-sport athlete who excelled in soccer, volleyball, basketball and track.
Third-generation luchador Humberto Carrillo of Monterrey, Mexico, recently debuted on NXT TV, facing The Forgotten Sons’ Jaxson Ryker in September. Formerly competing under the alias Ultimo Ninja, Carrillo comes from lucha libre’s famed Garza dynasty. WWE fans may remember Carrillo’s uncle, the late Hector Garza, a master of the corkscrew plancha who wrestled in both WCW and WWE at the height of the Monday Night War in the 1990s. Prior to joining the WWE PC, Carrillo won titles throughout Mexico, as well as competed in Japan’s NOAH organization.
Luis Martinez, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound striker from the independent scene, also joins the WWE PC ranks. Initially trained at the Monster Factory in New Jersey, Martinez has wrestled under the ring name Punishment Martinez. Splitting his upbringing between New York and Puerto Rico, Martinez learned the Gōjū-ryū form of karate at a young age. Among other accolades, Martinez won Ring of Honor’s Survival of the Fittest tournament in 2017, and he has previously tangled with the likes of NXT’s War Raiders.
Six-foot-two, 230-pound Daniel Vidot of Queensland, Australia, arrives to the WWE PC from the world of professional rugby. He played wing in Australia’s National Rugby League for the Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans, Canberra Raiders and St. George Illawarra Dragons, as well as competed in English Super League play.
Towering over the rest of the recruits is 7-foot-3, 370-pound Jordan Omogbehin. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, the imposing Omogbehin played college basketball at the University of South Florida and Morgan State University in Baltimore.
Stay with WWE Digital in the coming weeks for more information on the WWE PC’s newest roster members. To learn more about the WWE PC, including how to apply for a WWE tryout, visit WWEPerformanceCenter.com.
Article source: WWE.com
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