WWE announces first 15 signings to groundbreaking new NIL program

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By Jake Skudder

Published Dec 9, 2021

The company has confirmed some big signings already

WWE has confirmed the creation of their own Next In Line program, and there are 15 signings already confirmed for the college athlete-based concept.

The company is hoping to use the NCAA's new NIL rules as a potential way to create a pipeline for its developmental system.

WWE has said that each deal "provides a clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE" and in the inaugural NIL signings, there are athletes representing wrestling, football, basketball and track and field.

As well as financial compensation, the 15 signees will be getting access to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

As WWE mentioned in a press release, the athletes will have access to "brand building, media training, communications, live-event promotion, creative writing and community relations" at the Performance Center.

WWE NIL Program

Here are the names confirmed for the inaugural NIL class:

Carlos Aviles (Ohio State men's track and field)
Haley Cavinder (Fresno State women's basketball)
Hanna Cavinder (Fresno State women's basketball)
A.J. Ferrari (Oklahoma State wrestling)
Lexi Gordon (Duke women's basketball)
Aleeya Hutchins (Wake Forest women's track and field)
John Krahn (Portland State football)
Glen Logan (LSU football)
Isaac Odugbesan (Alabama football)
Mason Parris (Michigan wrestling)
Masai Russel (Kentucky women's track and field)
Jon Seaton (Elon football)
Joe Spivak (Northwestern football)
Dalton Wagner (Arkansas football)
Riley White (Alabama women's track and field)

The Cavinder Twins are arguably the biggest names on the list, at least in terms of social media presence.

Haley and Hanna Cavinder play on the Fresno State women's basketball team and have a combined Instagram following of nearly 700,000 accounts. The duo's join TikTok account has almost 4 million followers, giving them a huge reach and influence.

Triple H discussed the creation of the new program as part of the official announcement:

“The WWE NIL program has the potential to be transformational to our business. By creating partnerships with elite athletes at all levels across a wide variety of college sports, we will dramatically expand our pool of talent and create a system that readies NCAA competitors for WWE once their collegiate careers come to a close.”