When Alabama shot-putter Isaac Odugbesan received a direct message purportedly from a WWE talent scout, he didnāt know how to respond. So he didnāt. For a week.
āI did some more research and then I realized, āOh, no, this is legit,āā he said.
So legit that Odugbesan was a member of WWEās first NIL (āNext In Lineā) class in 2021 of 15 college athletes, a growing part of the companyās talent development pipeline.
In five years, Odugbesan ā now known as Oba Femi ā has gone from a longtime fan to two-time NXT champion to a featured match at WrestleMania 42, April 18-19, in Las Vegas. Femi becomes the first NIL program athlete to land a coveted spot at WWEās biggest show of the year when he faces Brock Lesnar.
āA lot of former athletes reminisce about the good old days of how they used to play this and how they used to do that, but because they didnāt find the full success in their particular field back then, this gives them the opportunity,ā Odugbesan said. āIt allowed me to continue my dream, allowed me to show my personality, allowed me to explore myself, my fullest potential in the biggest and brightest way on the biggest and brightest stage.ā
While Odugbesan, a three-time SEC shot-put champion, found his way to WWE through the NIL program, former college athletes are filling emerging roles throughout WWE, with two making their WrestleMania debuts in championship matches.
Trick Williams, aka former South Carolina wide receiver Matrick Belton, reached out to WWE in 2018 in hopes of extending his football career with the XFL, then owned by WWE boss Vince McMahon. Instead, he was offered a wrestling tryout and eventually signed a developmental contract in 2021. He was called up to the SmackDown roster in January and challenges Sami Zayn for the United States title at WrestleMania.
Lash Legend, aka former Texas A&M and Mississippi State womenās basketball player Anriel Howard, had a contract to continue her basketball career overseas when she fell in love with wrestling after her tryout and signed with WWE in 2020. She was called up to the main roster in November and she and partner Nia Jax defend the WWE womenās tag championship in Las Vegas. (Williams and Legend got engaged over Thanksgiving.)
Another former college athlete, Bron Breakker, aka former Kennesaw State running back Bronson Rechsteiner, would have had a prominent WrestleMania match were it not for a hernia surgery in February. Rechsteiner was cut by the Baltimore Ravens in 2019 and decided it was time to try the family business. His father, Rick, and uncle, Scott, formed the WWE Hall of Fame tag team the Steiner Brothers. He debuted on NXT in 2021 and made the main roster in 2024.
Shawn Michaels, WWEās senior vice president of talent development, creative, who oversees the NXT brand, said WWE conducts four tryouts per year of about 50 to 60 athletes for two to three days, then narrows the group to about 10 to 15. As much as heās watching footwork and natural ability, heās also looking for team players, and people who encourage others and are well-mannered ā all traits valued in traditional team sports.
āIf we can get even five to six out of that who make it into NXT, thatās a win for us,ā Michaels said.
For Femi, his goal throughout his college career as a thrower was to be big and strong, but being particularly speedy was not required.
āI was about 330 pounds at the time, and next thing I know, I have to run, jump, roll, do all these things I donāt normally do,ā he said of his tryout. āI had to adapt on the fly.ā
He described the tryout as life changing. āEven the people who didnāt make it at the tryout were like, āIām glad I came, because that was hard.āā
