Summary
- WWE has awarded 60 NIL contracts to NCAA athletes since July 2021 – athletes may not have a wrestling background.
- NIL contracts allow college athletes to make money while competing through endorsements and signings.
- WWE’s NIL deal, “Next In Line,” provides training at their Performance Center; success on the main roster is not guaranteed.
In July 2021, the NCAA introduced a new policy that changed the landscape for college athletes breaking into sports. The WWE has created a programme based around the NIL structure to help college sports stars develop into professional wrestlers. Many of NXT’s new, young stars come from NIL contracts as WWE wishes to train homegrown talent.
According to the Sports Business Journal, from July 2021 to June 2024, WWE have given out 60 NIL contracts. These athletes come from NCAA conferences, track and field sports, as well as baseball and tennis. Talent who are signed to a NIL deal may not have a wrestling background but have the potential to be a star in the industry.
Each year, the WWE signs collegiate talent to NIL deals. They are usually announced on social media and WWE fans wait to see which direction each athlete goes in.
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What a NIL Contract is
NIL stands for ‘name, image and likeness’, meaning that college athletes can make money and get compensation whilst competing. Due to colleges not being able to pay their athletes directly, these contracts allow the young stars to make money off marketing themselves via product endorsements and autograph signings.
The origin of NIL contracts can be traced back to the late 2000s when a lawsuit was filed by former NCAA athlete, Ed O’Bannon. He claimed that college athletes should be compensated if their names are used in video games such as Madden and the NBA series. As of right now, 28 different states in the US have passed the NIL laws.
The WWE have put their own spin on the NIL contract, calling it the “Next In Line” deal. Athletes who sign an NIL deal with WWE have the chance to use the company’s state-of-the-art Performance Center in Florida. The young talents are trained on their in-ring work along with microphone skills and communication with the WWE community. It is not certain that NIL-signed wrestlers will make it to the main roster, or even NXT.
Wrestlers With NIL Contracts
WWE made their first NIL signing in 2021 when they offered a deal to Gable Steveson who had won Olympic gold in wrestling just a month prior. Steveson was the second wrestling gold medalist in the WWE after Kurt Angle and had massive expectations. Steveson had his first match in the company on NXT: The Great American Bash and went one-on-one with Baron Corbin. Unfortunately, Steveson was unable to resonate with the WWE fans. He was released from his contract in May 2024.
Oba Femi is an example of a WWE competitor who received an NIL contract and has made a name for himself in NXT, winning multiple titles. The Nigerian has been dominant for the development brand and is the biggest success to come out of the NIL programme so far. He was a part of the inaugural class of NIL recruits in 2021. We can expect big things from the former shot putter when he moves up to the main roster.
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A New Steiner
Recently, Brock Rechsteiner, the son of WWE Hall of Famer, Scott Steiner, has been signed to an NIL deal with WWE. The former Tag Team Champion spoke on Busted Open Radio, announcing his son being signed by the company. He admitted that he had to “bury the hatchet” with WWE for his nephew, Bron Breakker.
Hunter [HHH] called me the other day, maybe like three weeks ago and offered MY boy an NIL deal… He’s got one more year in college. They showed side-by-side comparisons when I was wrestling and WWE saw that.
Rechsteiner plays college football for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and gained publicity after scoring an 85-yard touchdown against Southern Miss. A viral photo has gone around the wrestling community of Brock posing like his father wearing a replica of the World Heavyweight Championship and Steiner’s iconic chain mail headgear.
With Rechsteiner’s cousin, Bron Breakker, already shining in WWE, we might see the son of Big Poppa Pump go head-to-head with his own blood in the ring. Breakker is already a multi-time Intercontinental Champion and NXT Champion. We can expect to see him in the main event scene soon. WWE are not afraid to shy away from family matters in the ring and Brock and Bron could be their next big familial storyline.
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