WWE ID: Every Wrestler Signed So Far
The full list of independent stars and standouts given the WWE ID contract
It was towards the end of October 2024 when WWE unleashed "ID" - their newest developmental arm and/or attempt to decimate the United States independent scene in the manner they did the UK one during its late-2010s boom, depending on your take.
People's cynicism was rooted in acknowledging just about every time the market leader has worked "alongside" smaller organisations, though those signing the deals will at least get contracts and deals that may benefit them more than their payout-to-payout road life at present.
It's not just about the money too; folding in Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling, Cody Rhodes’ Nightmare Factory, Seth Rollins’ Black and Brave Academy, Elite Pro Wrestling Training Center, and KnokX Pro Academy (Los Angeles), the recruits will be given a designated pathway towards WWE via the favoured destinations, where everybody involved in talent development from Triple H and Shawn Michaels downwards will be able to take a closer look at some of the scene's top prospects.
And just who have they identified as said prospects?
1. Bryce Donovan (07/11/24)
The first name of a bold new era for WWE talent development, Bryce Donovan's name landed on socials on November 7th 2024. A standout from Wrestling Open, Donovan debuted in 2016 for Create-A-Pro Wrestling, and has put the miles in ever since. Of his 370+ matches before getting the deal, only one took place on North American mainstream television - a Dark: Elevation loss to The Factory in July 2022. The opportunity to expand that range just got a little bit bigger.
2. "Cold Brew" Cappuccino Jones (07/11/24)
With some fabulous wordplay and a tremendous look, "Cold Brew" Cappuccino Jones popped the online wrestling spaces the second his (excellent) name was dropped. As new fans learned of his moves such as The Double Shot, Caramel Latte Legdrop, Half And Half, Expresso Lariat, Froggy Brew and dreaded Decafinator (and Coffeyville, KS hometown), a bigger picture was built around a talent with as much patter as potential. Those a little more across recent AEW television might have seen him pop up in a February 2024 Rampage loss to The Young Bucks alongside Johnny Lyons, but was Core Professional Wrestling (CPW) 918 Champion at the point he got the WWE ID deal.
3. Zayda Steel (07/11/24)
Combat Zone Wrestling's Zayda Steel was the first female to sign on the dotted line with WWE ID, having built herself a strong reputation not just in CZW but also MLW and Marigold. With just over 100 matches by the time she got the deal, she's got plenty more than the average NIL prospect making it to NXT, but a fair few less than some of her peers joining the programme. NXT putting such focus on women's wrestling should encourage her to get on board at this point, particularly following a bleak few years for the scene on WWE and AEW's main stages.
4. Zara Zakher (08/11/24)
"The Petite Powerhouse" only debuted in 2023, but Zara Zakher has made a name for herself across every big independent company you've heard of and plenty you haven't. A recent GCW Title match against Masha Slamovich was the latest checkpoint moment for somebody who - at just 22 - can absolutely be considered a prodigy. Unlike several others on the list, her national television experience currently sits at zero, which makes her more of a surprise package if and when he breaks through.
5. Sean Legacy (08/11/24)
Sean Legacy has been at this since 2016, working everywhere BUT AEW and WWE during the years the market leader attempted to expand outwards with NXT and the challenger brand pillaged so much of the scene. He teamed with Chris Ridgeway to defeat TMDK (featuring future IWGP Champion Zack Sabre Jr) at the NJPW/AJPW/NOAH Supershow on June 9th 2023, but the latest chapter seems borne of a strong work ethic and the recognition fro promotions like Pro Wrestling Revolution and Southern Legacy Wrestling.
6. "Cartwheel" Jack Summit (08/11/24)
Drawing headlines for the name change that came with his contract offer, Jack Cartwheel (Summit is his real surname, not just the first thing he idly just thought about in the moment) is known for high-flying style, heavily influenced, obviously, by gymnastic flourishes. He debuted in 2019 and gained recognition for his work with promotions such as Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), Ring of Honor (ROH), Major League Wrestling (MLW), and AAA. Prior to signing on the ID dotted line, he climbed the AEW ladder from Dark up to Rampage up to a Collision in 2024.
7. Marcus Mathers (09/11/24)
A staple of promotions such as Game Changer Wrestling having gotten his start in H2O Wrestling, Mathers has put the miles in for a career that only got going in 2019. With 535 matches in the five years leading up to his ID signing (inclusive of a pandemic no less), he's kept a schedule that now goes beyond what WWE would expect from most of the main roster and/or a touring NXT crew. He's been about enough to know the industry's ups and downs, but at 21, has even more youth than he does experience.
8. Sam 'Hardaway' Holloway (09/11/24)
A post-pandemic starter with experience primarily for International Wrestling Cartel in Pennsylvania and Absolute Intense Wrestling in Ohio, Sam Holloway is another from the list that's yet to make it to any kind of national televised platform on either WWE or AEW's smaller stages. This cuts both ways of course - on one hand, he's only now literally been identified per the deal he's been offered, but on the other, he'll be brand spanking new if and when the TV call-up comes.
9. It's GAL (10/11/24)
Leaning on the toyetic side of wrestling has never hurt a performer's earnings when it goes well, and with his "Mint Condition" and "Real Life Action Figure" monikers, GAL (or "It's GAL" as he'll now go by) has at least got the frame and the imagined fame to make himself and the market leader a lot of money. He oozes a cartoonish but infectious type of charisma too - the sort that could serve him very well in the bizarre on-screen product NXT has found a home producing.
10. Ice Williams (11/11/24)
Ice Williams fought in several independent promotions ahead of getting his WWE ID recognition, most notably for Future Stars of Wrestling, and Championship Wrestling from Hollywood. With just 60+ bouts to his name upon inking the deal, he's most likely still going to be instructed to get reps, but four years of matches (including a February 2023 AEW Dark: Elevation loss to The Firm) have highlighted his versatility. He's so far displayed speed and power and a keen sense of ring awareness that should continue to prove foundational.
11. Aaron Rourke (14/11/24)
Aaron Rourke was called an "amateur" in kayfabe by Bryan Danielson when he teamed up with Alvin Alvarez and Brother Greatness to get brutalised by the Blackpool Combat Club on a 2023 edition of Dynamite, but 'The American Dragon' was strictly speaking in character. The trio took another loss to The Dark Order on Dark: Elevation at the time, and Rourke's been a prominent figure across the North East indie scene either side of the brief exposure.
12. Brad Baylor (14/11/24)
Alongside Ricky Smokes (more on him elsewhere), Brad Baylor makes up one half of Swipe Right - a team that have been dominant ever-presents for Beyond Wrestling since late 2023. To simply watch his matches and promos is to see how he got the deal - there's an innate charisma that cuts through as both a heel and most likely eventually babyface within the WWE machine, and at just 20 years old, he's got ample time to get even better.
13. Jackson Drake (14/11/24)
Popular across the Carolinas since debuting and now starting to break through in the likes of DPW, Jackson Drake is no stranger to the most popular corners of the US independent scene, nor is he completely without TV experience in the North American majors. Drake lost to Indus Sher alongside Levar Barbie on a May 2023 edition of Monday Night Raw, following on from an AEW Dark: Elevation defeat to Dante Martin the prior August.
14. Ricky Smokes (15/11/24)
Completing the Swipe Right set for WWE ID, Ricky Smokes joined tag partner Brad Baylor in the system when he was given his contract during an appearance for home promotion Chaotic Wrestling. Baylor joined The 'Smokeshow' on stage with his own contract as commentary talked up the possibility of them entering the programme as a team. It'll serve both well to have the option - Smokes works just as many singles and multi-mans as he does doubles.
15. Zoe Sager (17/11/24)
The first Canadian talent to receive a WWE ID contract, Zoe Sager was revealed to be on the books at Northern Crown event on the same night former TNA Champion Josh Alexander dominated headlines for announcing that he was no longer taking indie dates. Not so for Sager upon taking this next step - the Lance Storm-trained "Intangible" will still be at it, adding to a healthy CV she's built up mostly North of the border since debuting in 2018, including a 2023 AEW Dark loss to Emi Sakura.