At the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, there was a vibrant conversation involving Triple H, where he brought to light the noteworthy contributions and achievements of the female athletes in WWE’s women’s division. He recounted how, in his experience, female athletes at the WWE Performance Center exhibit a propensity for mastering the sport quickly compared to their male counterparts.
One pivotal element in cultivating the next generation of WWE talent is the Performance Center, with the NIL program being integral to this development. The program specifically assists college athletes in making the transition into WWE. Triple H, as the WWE CCO, shared:
“Honestly, our performance center in Orlando, Florida is buzzing with activity, hosting between 100 to 120 athletes training daily. There’s a significant proportion of female and male athletes hailing from all levels of college athletics, thanks to our NIL program. It’s actually quite intriguing that the women tend to grasp this work way faster than men! And I mean, we start all of them from the same baseline, but we have women ready for live TV within six to nine months. I often muse with Shawn Michaels, who manages this program, about how remarkable it is to witness these evolution.”
In related news, Sonya Deville bounced back onto WWE screens on January 1, 2021, after previously losing to Mandy Rose in a “Loser Leaves WWE” match at WWE SummerSlam 2020. Soon, after her return she began teaming up with Adam Pearce in an assistant General Manager role.
In her candid conversation with Ariel Helwani on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” she explained how her new role took shape:
“When I decided to return, I had a meeting with Vince [McMahon] about potential roles. I suggested I could adopt a ‘boss’ role, not like Sasha Banks, being ‘The Boss,’ but along those lines. After showing Vince my custom suit, that seemed to seal the deal. Back then, I had no clue about my eventual pairing with Adam Pearce or becoming the GM. I was just told to stroll down the hallway in a suit, and that was the start of it all.”
Deville expanded on this: “With time, I got more involved with Adam Pearce, acting as his assistant. While I did hope for more control, like running SmackDown while he managed Raw, we didn’t go in that direction. After working closely with Adam Pearce on both Raw and SmackDown, which was incredibly enjoyable, I moved on to a storyline with Bianca [Belair].”
Please feel free to share any news tips or podcast recapswith us, full credit will be given. You can reach me at [email protected].