On Monday, WWE announced that 11 new signees would be joining their Performance Center in Florida, hoping to become the next batch of wrestlers that will advance to WWE’s NXT brand and then, one day, graduate to the main WWE roster. There’s always a feeling-out process and anxious period when anyone gets hired onto a new job, but what is it like to “interview” and then get hired to the biggest professional wrestling company on Earth?
What it’s like to get signed as a WWE wrestler
WWE just announced the signing of 11 international wrestlers, who will begin training at the Performance Center in Florida. SB Nation spoke to two of the new talents, who talk about the process of getting hired.
Bill Hanstock is a writer, author and Emmy Award-winning producer. He began writing for SB Nation in 2011.
SB Nation was able to speak with Sesugh Uhaa, who competed all over the world as indie wrestler Uhaa Nation and Levis Valenzuela, who previously worked for CWF Mid-Atlantic and other promotions as Manny Garcia. They told us that they were beyond excited to be starting with WWE, saying it is a dream come true. They walked us through how they came to audition for WWE and what the “onboarding” process was like for both of them.
How did you first come to WWE’s attention?
UHAA: I was in England at the time. A rapper by the name of Wale followed me on Twitter. He sent me a direct message and he said, “I just got hip to your stuff and man, you’re amazing. How do we get you in WWE?” I hadn’t been in contact with anyone. I did extra work [for WWE] back in 2011 before I started traveling [to different countries to wrestle]. And I said, “I’m not in contact with anyone. I don’t even know if they have an idea of who I am at the moment.” [Wale] got in touch with Mark Henry, who then got us in. I was supposed to be in a tryout in September but I was still overseas, so they pushed mine back to October. I got down [to Florida] and the experience was just amazing from day one. Some hard work, but just an amazing experience from the second that I stepped into the building. There’s nothing that I hated about it. When I came in here for the tryout, I told myself that I’m going to leave everything that I have in the ring, or whatever I do. I’m going to give them no reason not to want me and I’ve got to make sure that I know in my head, when I leave, that I did everything in my power to make that happen. As soon as I left, I said that I want to be back here. This is the place to be. I was in the plane, flying home and I couldn’t even relax or anything. I was just thinking about the experience that I had.
VALENZUELA: I got signed on as an extra back in July. You’re there two days and if you’re lucky, [you get] a five-minute practice match. That’s where they saw a little charisma in me, I believe. They told me about tryouts and I was available the next day. I started training, because all I hear from the tryout [participants] was, “Get your cardio up, get your cardio up.” I lost a little bit of weight, because I started a TON of cardio. And then I got here and thank GOODNESS I did that cardio, because they understated how much cardio actually went down here.
Levis Valenzuela
What is the tryout itself like?
UHAA: We did three days [for the tryout], and then -- which even motivated me more -- we got to go watch the NXT taping at Full Sail. That was the last day we were here. After I left that, I just think that this is something I have to be a part of. I said, “I can’t be anywhere else but here.” The talent is just amazing. The people, the facilities. Everything is just great about the Performance Center. And not just the Performance Center, but NXT in general. After I watched that show, I was just like, “OK, I have to be here. I can’t be anywhere else but NXT.”
VALENZUELA: It was a lot of determination. Thirty, 32 guys in that tryout and we were just constantly moving, constant motion. The important thing was to try to keep a positive attitude, positive outlook and try to support everybody at the same time. So I never kept my mouth shut. I knew third day was going to be a promo and I was looking forward to that day because one thing I like to do is connect with the audience and when it’s me and that camera, one on one, it’s a beautiful thing in my head. Maybe it doesn’t look like that on camera [laughs]. But I just like that time. It was very hard, but I think I was pretty well prepared.
How did you find out you were actually getting signed to WWE?
UHAA: I had an idea that [WWE was] interested the day I left, when [officials] said they wanted to talk to some people about my contract with [Dragon Gate USA] and stuff and make sure everything was OK with that. In professional wrestling, anything can happen, so I didn't want to get too excited. At the same time, close family and stuff like that were curious about how it went and I couldn't help but tell them there may be some interest there. A few months later, I was back in England again, and my sister sends me a text and says, "You got something from WWE in the mail." I was like, "Can you open it and check what it is?" [laughs] She opens it and says, "It says ‘Booking Contract.'" I emailed [WWE Senior Director of Talent Development] Canyon Ceman immediately, [saying,] "Something came to my house that says booking contract. I was wondering if this was the [WWE] contract." He said, "Yeah, it's a contract deal. If you get a chance when you get home, read it, sign it, and send it back to us." I just was ... "This is not happening right now. There's no way it's happening." You dream of a certain moment in your life and you dream of reaching that moment. But when the day comes and you get there, it's just ... it's like a dream. That's how it felt. It still feels like that, coming in here every day. I've been here a few times this past week, but coming in this morning, again, you still get that nervous feeling. I still get that feeling of excitement, like I just can't believe I'm here.
VALENZUELA: I actually was pulled to the side the last day of the tryout [and told] they were interested in me. “We’ll let you know. We’ll give you a confirmation [in] six to eight weeks.” [They] called exactly six weeks later. “You know we already want you.” I was like, “Yeeesss!” It’s great to have that confirmation, but the entire time you’re just waiting in anticipation for this phone call. All right, now you start the hiring process. That was good.
So what’s it like to be brought into the WWE machine?
VALENZUELA: The hiring process, you have to go in with a mentality [that this] is a well-respected, billion-dollar company. They have to dot their Is, cross their Ts and get everything in check. So I knew it wasn’t going to be a rush. They have to take every step necessary to make sure I was ready mentally, physically, to be a WWE Superstar. The process was just sending a lot of paperwork, getting things checked out, getting top-of-the-line medical clearance. Then just pack up everything, make sure everything’s go on your part to go and then head down [to Florida]. It was a few months, but it was well worth the wait. Then when you’re down here [and] find a place [to live], they make sure you’re comfortable - they just want you to be happy where you’re at - and then you just come to work. It’s crazy to call the Performance Center a job, but it’s the dream job. It’s [still] work.
And what’s a typical day like at the Performance Center?
UHAA: We haven’t been in the ring yet, but [in the morning] we’ll observe what the [Performance Center wrestling] class is doing, just watch their routine from about 9 to 12 o’clock. Then we’ll have a break for about an hour, hour 45, get to eat lunch, and then we’ll go [to the] strength and conditioning session from about 1:45-3 p.m., which is amazing, too. The facilities here and the coach is world-class. Some great workouts. After that we get to eat again and sit down, then we’ll get in a class with Dusty [Rhodes] and work on some talking skills, which we’re actually gonna get to do for the first time today. I’m pretty excited about that because I feel like that’s one of my weaker areas, so that’s something that I’d love to improve on. So just the fact that we get to do that is amazing in itself.
Things don’t always pan out for Performance Center signees. How are you approaching the possibility you may not make it to the main roster?
UHAA: What I’ve learned is, the first idea you come in with is not always going to be what you end up with. [Getting released] is one of those things I’m prepared for. I think any [opportunity] I get, I want to make sure I give it 110 percent.
Are there any expectations or timelines given by the Performance Center trainers or coaches? Do they expect you to be at a certain level by a certain date?
UHAA: You kind of set your own pace. I’m here to learn and I’m just going to be patient and take my time on everything and try not to rush. But at the same time, I’d love to get on [NXT] as quick as possible, but also enjoy every single moment and not look back and have any kind of regrets. I want to look back and make sure I took full advantage of the coaching. I want to make sure I did everything before it gets too late and I look back and I’m like, “Oh, I should have done this” or “I could have spent more time learning this.” I’m not setting any kind of timeline for myself. Anything can happen in professional wrestling, so I’m just prepared for whatever.
VALENZUELA: They’re very positive on your goals. Everybody has the same goal: to move up to the roster. So you come here to accomplish your goals. There’s no time frame, no time crunch. They just want you to work as hard as you need to work, every single day. It’s really on you. They give you all the resources necessary in order to perform, in order to get your body ready, get your character ready, whatever that may be. Try different characters. Come in here, work out every single day, work in the ring. We have seven rings, 26,000 square feet. Top of the line trainers, medical staff. This is the place to be for sports entertainment. As recruits coming in, we understood that from day one. It wasn’t so much, “You’ve got to do this,” it was, “Congratulations, you’re here. It’s up to you to take that next step. We’re going to give you all the resources. Go.”
If everything goes well, you may be seeing both Uhaa and Valenzuela on your television soon.
★★★
Secreat Weapons: The danger of Manny Pacquiao’s right hook
See More:
