MUMBAI: WWE announced Monday that it will visit India in search of the next generation of superstars by holding its first-ever talent tryout in the city in March 2019. The four-day event will give up to 40 athletes from the country a golden opportunity to showcase their abilities with the goal of being selected to begin training at the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
The talent pool will comprise of elite performers with a diverse background in sports and athletics including kushti, kabaddi, wrestling, American Football, basketball, combat sports, cricket and bodybuilding.
“India has an extremely large and passionate fanbase and remains a top priority for WWE as we continue to localize content globally,” WWE executive VP of Talent, Live Events & Creative, Paul “Triple H” Levesque said.
“I am confident this latest talent tryout will result in a world-class pool of athletes ready to pursue their dream of becoming the next WWE Superstar from India.”
The official WWE recruitment website at www.wweperformancecenter.com was made available in Hindi from Monday for this very purpose. Tailored to athletes who are interested in pursuing a career in sports entertainment, the website features information about its recruitment process and provides a detailed look at what day-to-day life is like for NXT Superstars and members of the WWE Performance Center roster.
The online hub also includes step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a tryout, as well as access to the official application form; an overview of the many resources available to WWE Performance Center recruits, from professional development and life-skills services, to in-ring training and on-site medical care; photos of the entire Performance Center roster, including current NXT Superstars and champions; biographies of the WWE PC’s industry-leading coaching staff; testimonials from Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live Superstars; and videos from past tryouts, both those held at the Performance Center and internationally.
The tryout in India will be the latest example of WWE’s global talent recruiting efforts. In recent years, WWE has scouted rugby and soccer players from Europe, Kabaddi and Kushti athletes from India, and martial artists and boxers from China. WWE has held similar tryouts in Shanghai, Dubai, Jeddah, Cologne and Santiago.
Notably, Kavita Devi of Haryana is a success story of the WWE’s tryout in Dubai in April 2017. Devi went to compete in the main event (the Maee Young Classic) and was awarded the highest honour ‘The First Ladies’ amongst 112 women by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind in January 2018.
