Report: Recent WWE Tryouts A "Disaster"

WWE's recent tryouts ahead of SummerSlam were a "disaster" according to Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer. 

The company held their latest tryouts in Nashville, Tennessee ahead of the July 30 pay-per-view and the company had plenty of athletes in attendance and have done since they introduced their NIL programme in late 2021. 

The tryouts did not go smoothly, though, and Alvarez reported on Wrestling Observer Live there were "a ton of injuries" including several concussions. The word coming out of WWE since then is that more independent wrestlers will be in attendance at upcoming tryouts.

"Apparently this most recent set of WWE tryouts, this was the set of tryouts where a lot of NIL folks showed up trying to get deals and [there were] no independent wrestlers allowed, the word is this is probably the last time this is going to happen," Alvarez said.

"They're not getting rid of the NIL programme but this idea of no independent wrestlers, all NIL folks like Lash Legend and Ivy Nile and folks like that. The point of this is there were a ton of injuries at this set of tryouts: There were several concussions, there were a lot of folks trying out that got hurt - it's the blind leading the blind. So anyway it looks like the days of, all college athletes attempting to get NIL deals, no independent wrestlers, it appears that's probably over. I heard a lot of injuries, I heard a lot of them, quite frankly, sucked and... I don't want to put words in anybody's mouths but from what I heard, it sounded like it was a disaster." 

The change in strategy comes after Triple H was appointed Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and head of WWE creative. It is expected that changes will be made to WWE developmental, including NXT, which will see the company look to recruit more experienced wrestlers.

H/T to Inside The Ropes