Ronda Rousey's Close Female MMA Fighter Friend Gets WWE Tryout
39 prospects are fighting to bring some much-needed depth to the promotion.
With the roster in a state of flux and lacking for star power due to the recent mass call-ups, the officials in NXT are working hard to replenish the lost talent by holding tryouts for large numbers of potential signees. Among this latest batch are several names that may excite fans of both independent pro wrestling and mixed martial arts.
On the MMA front, Shayna Baszler - perhaps best known as 1/4 of that sport's Four Horsewomen alongside Ronda Rousey - made the trip to Orando to vie for a position with the developmental brand. Baszler has been moonlighting between MMA and wrestling, and the 36-year old seems to be far more at home in the squared circle.
Washing out of the UFC with a record of 15-10 after two straight TKO losses, "The Queen of Spades" has made a splash on the indie wrestling circuit, recently becoming the AIW women's champion. She definitely has the pedigree for it; she was schooled by the late Billy Robinson, a legendary British pro and catch wrestling competitor and trainer. Her biggest obstacle to earning a contract is going to be her age, but with the success of seasoned vets like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, WWE looks to be loosening up their policy in that regard.
Eddie Kingston was also among those invited in for the tryout. For those unfamiliar with his work, "The War King" has been in the business for 14 years, delivering his patented brand of strong-style violence and winning championships in organizations such as Ring of Honor, PWG, CZW, IWA-MS and Chikara. He's a talented worker in the ring and an even better talker, so bringing him into NXT should be a home run.
Other names included were Cedric Rougeau, son of "The Mountie" Jacques Rougeau, Jacob Fatu of the Samoan pro wrestling family tree (he's The Tonga KId's son and was trained by Rikishi) and Shimmer champion Nicole Savoy.
The tryouts featured 39 prospects in all with a record-setting 20 women among them. This couldn't have come at a better time because the NXT roster is struggling with arguably the least amount of depth that its had since the inception of The WWE Network.