Alright, let me tell you how I got into really paying attention to WWE signings. It wasn’t like I set out to be some expert, you know? It just kinda happened over time.
My Little Routine
So, picture this: weekend mornings, cup of coffee, scrolling through wrestling news. Standard stuff. But then I started doing something a bit different. Instead of just reading the headlines like “So-and-so signs with WWE,” I started digging a little bit.
First step, I’d see a name pop up. Maybe someone from the indies I’d heard of, maybe a total unknown.
Second, I’d try to remember where I’d seen them before. Was it Impact? Ring of Honor? Maybe some show I caught online from Japan or Mexico? Sometimes, I’d draw a blank, especially with the athletes they sign straight from college sports.
Then, I started keeping a mental list. Like, okay, this guy was a big deal on the indies, that woman was a powerhouse lifter, this other person seemed to come out of nowhere.
Connecting the Dots
After doing this for a while, maybe a year or two, I started seeing patterns. It wasn’t just random signings. It felt like there were phases.
- Sometimes, they’d go hard after well-known independent wrestlers, guys and gals who already had a following.
- Other times, it felt like they were just Hoovering up talent, maybe folks who might have gone to a rival company. You’d see a bunch of signings announced close together.
- Then there were the periods focused on pure athletes – football players, wrestlers (the amateur kind), track stars. People with zero pro-wrestling experience but looked the part.
It hit me one day, especially when NXT changed its whole look and feel. The type of signings shifted too. Less focus on the established indie names that guys like me knew, more on building from scratch with these amazing athletes.
What I Think Now
So, now when I see a signing announcement, I don’t just see a new wrestler. I kinda try to figure out the ‘why’ behind it. Is this filling a specific need on the main roster? Is it a developmental project for the Performance Center? Are they trying to keep this person away from another promotion?
It’s not scientific, obviously. It’s just my way of looking at it, piecing together the puzzle based on who they bring in and what’s happening in the wrestling world at that moment. It makes following the signings a bit more interesting than just seeing a name on a list. Keeps the old brain working, you know?
