What’s the story?
Former TNA/Impact Wrestling Superstars Crazzy Steve and Cody Deaner were a part of the 40-man tryouts at the WWE Performance Center this week, as per an official report by the WWE.
In case you didn’t know...
Crazzy Steve is known for his stint with Impact Wrestling (TNA) that lasted from 2014 to 2016. During his time with the promotion, Steve was a part of The Menagerie and Decay stables and was also a one-time TNA World Tag Team Champion (with Abyss).
The 35-year-old Cody Deaner, on the other hand, is a veteran of the independent professional wrestling scene and has been wrestling since the year 2000. He had a small stint with the erstwhile WWE in 2004 and has since appeared on a host of promotions including Global Force Wrestling and Impact Wrestling (TNA).
The heart of the matter
Crazzy Steve, who has reportedly been the subject of a lot of interest from the top brass at WWE in the recent past, was a part of the tryouts at the WWE Performance Center. Rumours of Steve possibly headed to the WWE have picked up a lot of steam recently and it appears that his inclusion in WWE’s roster is not far from being done.
Cody Deaner, on the other hand, has not had any rumours linking him to the WWE yet but he was also a part of the tryouts.
Also read: 5 current Impact Wrestling Superstars who could move to the WWE
Alongside Deaner and Steve, there were 38 other participants who had come from various backgrounds, including amateur wrestling, powerlifting, modelling, army, college football as well as other athletic endeavours.
The full list of all the participants in the recent WWE tryouts is as follows:
Former University of Georgia linebacker Amarlo Herrera
Obstacle course runner Hunter McIntyre
New Zealand-born football player/bodybuilder Raynor Whitcombe
All-American wrestler Denzel DeJournette
German kickboxer Nicolai Salchow
Crossfit competitor/swimmer Lindsey Kelly
Independent wrestler Reginald Gibbs
Arthur and Josh Haug
Powerlifter Nick Brewer
California state wrestling champion Vernon Willis
Weightlifting and 5x wrestling champion Andrew Cavanna
Hip hop artist Briana Brandy
Independent wrestler/model Matt King
Lance Storm Wrestling Academy graduate Troy Russell
Army veteran Tehuti Miles
Independent wrestler Quelton Toliver
Football players Morgan and Christopher Hill
Journalist-turned-wrestler Elena Pogosyan
Wrestler/Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt Jeslen Mishelle
Bodybuilder/bikini competitor Nikii Duke
Independent wrestler Mike Taverna
Army veteran Marquis Carter
Fitness model Haley Kate Yellin
Independent wrestler/former US Marine Will Cuevas
Former Texas Tech linebacker Blake Dees
Independent wrestler Micas Harris
US Navy veteran Marshall “Solo” Williams
Independent wrestler Zach Johnson
Independent wrestler Michael Richards
College football player Joe Maples
Junior Olympics beach volleyball player Haley Tipton
Rawle Chicester
Track athlete/power lifter Abigail Burgdorf
What’s next?
It is unclear when the results of the tryouts will be announced. However, seeing as how WWE have been strongly linked to Crazzy Steve recently, him joining the WWE might just be a done deal at this point.
Author’s take
Over the past few years, WWE have been relentless in their pursuit of independent wrestling talent. The approach seems to have worked out really well for them considering that most of their top roster is stacked with Superstars that made their names elsewhere before signing up with the company.
It’s good to see WWE approaching the independent wrestling scene with so much positivity, as it provides a platform and a step in career progression for all independent wrestlers. More power to the WWE for doing what they’re doing!
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