WWE No Longer Scouting Indie Talent

There has been some chatter for a while now concerning WWE’s hiring practices going forward, and it seems they are only focusing on talents they can mould themselves rather than established independent talent.

Per a report from Dave Meltzer in The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE are going full steam ahead with the new hiring policy, saying:

“Several in the company have told us that the word from the top is no more independent talent as far as scouting and such and that AEW can have all the independent talent to itself. They are back to the feeling of scouting by looks and not because guys have gotten over elsewhere and teaching people with the right look to be wrestlers.”

This news comes in the wake of Nick Khan’s promise of changes coming to NXT, with the black and gold brand believed to reverting to a strictly developmental brand going forward.

Whilst many wrestling fans may roll their eyes at WWE’s new scouting edict, Meltzer adds that this mentality is commonplace in television:

“As funny as this sounds, pro wrestling is hardly the only TV business with this mentality, as many industries scout looks whether it be music and acting and even local news believing that looks is what makes mainstream stars and will draw more eyeballs and you can teach those people to do the job and they’ll draw more ratings than better people at the job who aren’t as good looking. Anyway, the plan is to have people bring in a lot more athletes and do more tryouts like they did in Las Vegas going forward.”