Former NFL Player Attends WWE Tryout

Another former NFL player is looking to begin a career in professional wrestling. 

TMZ Sports reported that Scooby Wright, a former NFL linebacker, was a part of WWE's recent tryouts at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Wright was invited to the tryout and he was among the 30-35 athletes to try out. 17 of those invited were former college American football players. 

Alongside taking bumps, Wright received advice from WWE Performance Center Coach Matt Bloom, according to TMZ. 

After playing at the University of Arizona in college, Wright was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Wright was waived by the Browns in September 2016 but he was signed by the Arizona Cardinals soon after, playing in 13 games for the team across two seasons. 

Wright then played in the AAF in 2018 before briefly being signed to the New England Patriots practice squad in 2019. Most recently, the 28-year-old was involved in the United States Football League as a linebacker for the Birmingham Stallions. 

WWE have looked to sign more athletes as developmental talents since late 2021. This coincided with a move away from scouting independent wrestling talents but the company has since started looking at indy wrestlers again following Vince McMahon's retirement.