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It's always incredibly exciting for the WWE Universe when WWE announces new signings - and the Performance Center has welcomed 12 of them today!
The previous intake saw stars such as Matt Riddle, Mia Yim and Punishment Martinez, as well as a seven-foot-three basketball player and "The Samoan Ghost" (you can read about all of those here) so the newest intake has a lot to live up to!
The 12 stars on this list (one of which is a tag team who have appeared on RAW) will all begin life as WWE Superstars by training at the incredibly impressive WWE Performance Center in preparation for life in the squared circle as a touring WWE Superstar. All 12 will debut on NXT initially, with some already being familiar with the WWE - at least temporarily - previous to this.
While some of them are no stranger to the squared circle and would definitely go under the "familiar faces" category as opposed to up and coming unknown prospects, there's no doubt these stars form a very exciting group for the WWE Universe.
So, who are they? Sportskeeda has you covered. Here's some need-to-know info on WWE's 12 newest recruits - two of which make up a tag team.
#11 Trevor Lee
One name that may not come as a huge surprise to anyone familiar with independent wrestling or this month's news is Trevor Lee. After confirming that he'd left Impact Wrestling and had become a free agent at the turn of the year, Lee recently announced at CWF Mid Atlantic that he was no longer a free agent and had indeed signed with WWE, to chants of "You deserve it."
The 25-year-old is best known for wrestling in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Impact Wrestling. In Impact, he is a three-time Impact X Division Champion and one-time TNA World Tag Team Champion - holding the titles with Brian Myers, also known as WWE's Curt Hawkins.
Lee was trained by Matt and Jeff Hardy and had been wrestling with Impact since 2015 before becoming a free agent and his final match in Impact Wrestling was on December 31st vs Johnny Impact. Lee was written off of television immediately after, on January 3rd when Killer Kross punched a concrete block through his face.
#10 ACH
At 31, Albert Christian Hardie Jr is another relatively young star snapped up by WWE. While he still has plenty of years ahead of him, ACH has competed in ROH, Impact Wrestling, AAA and NJPW among others.
ACH stands at five-foot-nine and is incredibly athletic, stating that he's drawn inspiration from the luchadors who competed on WCW when he first watched wrestling at a friend's house as a child after his parents separated.
#9 Omari Palmer
Omari Palmer is one of the less-known stars WWE has signed - at least with regards to wrestling. He was, however, a big name in college football before turning his attention to the squared circle.
Palmer was an offensive guard for the Syracuse Orange and stands at six-foot-two and 309 pounds - but we may be waiting a while to see him in the ring, depending on how quickly he transitions from gridiron to squared circle.
#8 Jonah Rock
While he may not be too well known in the USA or UK, Jonah Rock is another huge name to come out of Australia, much like WWE champions Buddy Murphy and Toni Storm. The 30-year-old Australian wrestler is most famous for his work in Pro Wrestling NOAH. Rock is a former AWA Heavyweight Champion and PPW Pacific Heavyweight Championship and has held singles and tag team titles across several other promotions in Australia.
#7 Elliot Sexton
Another Australian star on his way to the PC is Elliot Sexton! The six-foot-five star almost exclusively worked in Australia prior to his WWE tryout and, while we're unlikely to hear either in WWE, makes his entrances to "Sex Bomb" by Tom Jones and "We Will Rock You" by Queen. The Adelaide-born star is a personal trainer with a background in graphic design.
#6 Sam Shaw
Another name who will be familiar to most fans who aren't exclusive WWE watchers is Sam Shaw, formerly Samuel Shaw of Impact Wrestling. Shaw is 35 years old and has been working on the indies since leaving the company in 2015, but looks WWE-bound now. The six-foot Floridian brings a wealth of experience from his OVW days to WWE.
#5 Nick Comoroto
Nick Comoroto comes to WWE from Monster Factory Pro Wrestling, the same promotion that birthed Punishment Martinez of the previous Performance Center intake. The 27-year-old monster of a man nicknamed Wrecking Ball has held the MFPW Heavyweight title and the tag team titles.
#4 Ricardo Miller
Another recruit who's relatively new to wrestling is Ricardo Miller. The 26-year-old UMass Minutemen tight end/wide receiver towers over ACH behind him in the photo and, like Omari Palmer, makes his way to the squared circle fresh off the gridiron. We may indeed have to wait a little longer before we see him on NXT television.
#3 Scott Parker and Shane Matthews AKA 3.0
Where else but number three for the team named 3.0? This Canadian pairing's signing was leaked via the International Wrestling Syndicate in Montreal. The pair even appeared on RAW a few months ago as Jean-Paul and Francois, "competing" against Authors of Pain.
#2 Karen Q
Karen Q may be familiar to any fans of the Mae Young Classic, competing in the 2018 version of the tournament.
Described as a "tough, cunning, energetic, acrobatic and just flat-out entertaining" star by the WWE before the tournament, the Chinese American star isn't just impressive in the ring, also boasting a master’s degree. Q was eliminated in the first round but impressed enough for a WWE contract.
#1 Rachel Evers, AKA Rachael Ellering
Now for probably the most obviously well-known name of the class. The One Woman Minnesota Wrecking Crew Rachel Evers, daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Paul Ellering and a protégé of Lance Storm, has appeared in both Mae Young Classics.
The powerhouse even medaled in powerlifting before pursuing sports-entertainment - evident in the ring from her fallaway powerbombs and the modified spinebuster she calls the Graveyard Smash. At 26, Evers already has a wealth of experience, wrestling Alexa Bliss, Ember Moon, Sonya Deville and Liv Morgan in NXT. Evers has also competed in Impact Wrestling.
What do you think of WWE's latest signings? Let us know in the comments.
