After months of rumours and hints, the new class of WWE Performance Center recruits has arrived in Florida. From WWE.com:
Cassie McIntosh (Born in Sydney, resides in Melbourne, Australia) — Trained with Pro Wrestling Alliance in Sydney since 2011. In 2012, was trained by former WWE Superstar Lance Storm, who now runs the Storm Wrestling Academy. Proficient in dance and acrobatics.
Axel Tischer (Dresdan, Germany) — Trained with GWF Wrestling in Berlin, Germany, since 2006. Served in the German Army from 2005-2007, achieving the rank of Private First Class.
Oscar Vasquez (Cuidad Juarez, Mexico) — Trained in Juarez in the lucha libre style of wrestling. Worked with CWF Mid-Atlantic. Dual citizen of Mexico and the U.S.
Radomir Petkovic (Belgrade, Serbia) — European Vice Champion at the 2010 European Wrestling Championships and was a two-time bronze medalist at 2009 Mediterranean Games in Greco-Roman and Freestyle. Speaks Russian and English.
Kenneth Crawford (Chicago, Illinois/Anson County, North Carolina) — Served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years and accumulated a perfect 300 score in the United States Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test. Holds the North Carolina South Piedmont and Anson High School records in the 200-meter, 400-meter and 4×4 relay. Anson High School Athlete of the Year in 2007.
Peter Howard (Exeter, England) — Played collegiate Rugby in the U.K. and was a regional discus champion.
Thomas Kingdon (Traverse City, Michigan) — Competed in amateur bodybuilding and won the super-heavyweight class at the 2013 NPC Central States Competition.
Levis Valenzuela Jr. (Durham, North Carolina) — Trained with CWF Mid-Atlantic in 2013. Proficient in dance and won various awards for collegiate ballroom dancing. Holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from UNC Charlotte. Grew up in the United States, lived in South Korea from 2011-2013, and speaks Spanish.
Now, this is a pretty varied range of past experiences. The upside is that the ladies they’ve brought in actually have some pro wrestling experience, and… wait.. I’m sorry, Jessie McKay?
Jessica McKay (Sydney, Australia) — Since 2008, has trained with the Pro Wrestling Alliance in Sydney, as well as Ring of Honor.
McKay is a SHIMMER regular, and the first in what should be a long line of insanely beautiful and unnaturally talented women from Australia and New Zealand. The clip above (featuring With Spandex Fave Portia Perez and legit best in the world referee Bryce Remsburg) may not be the best example of her ability to throw down (she’s got it, don’t worry), but it’s nice to see someone who’s also got loads of personality. The idea of her training with Sara Del Rey and getting a chance to shine is a future I want to live in.
Now, can we please make Evie a part of that future?
Another stand out? Uhaa Nation:
Sesugh Uhaa (Atlanta, Georgia) — High school soccer, football and track-and-field star. Began training in 2009 and competed for Dragon Gate USA. Nigerian descent.
THIS GUY. Yeah, I’m linking to one of those “Top Moves” videos, but every move Uhaa does is a Top Move. This guy is nuts. This might be one of the most biased paragraphs I ever write on here, but once you see Uhaa wrestle, you’ll understand. Check out some of his Dragon Gate stuff from his run in Mad Blankey or Monster Express. I won’t link to it here for copyright reasons, but if you poke around enough, you can find a wealth of this guy’s matches that will make you a believer. I’ll warn you, though, you might get trapped in a match wormhole and could lose an entire day. He’s got a smile that was made for TV, and you know my love of friendship-based wrestling is more than fulfilled by his friendship with Also With Spandex Fave Akira Tozawa:
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If Tozawa also happens to show up stateside again, I’m not gonna be mad at it (please come back).
Nhooph Al-Areebi (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) — Trained with Squared Circle since 2011 and was a member of the Toronto Circus School from 2008-2012. Also trained in rhythmic gymnastics. Speaks English and Arabic.
Areebi is the teeny tiny one on the far left. I’m gonna give a special shout out to her, not just because of regional wrestling pride (though there’s a bit of that), or because she’s one of the very few wrestlers I can stand next to and actually feel kinda tall around for once in my life, but because I want her to get a fair shake. See, when we said that WWE will be bringing in smaller girls to not overwhelm someone like Alexa Bliss, Areebi is that perfect foil. She’s small, but she’s got enough experience and potential to grow in the way that they want her to. When we say we want diversity, it’s not a knock on someone like Areebi, or Bliss because just because she’s blonde. If you seek out her matches, you’ll notice a lot of the same kind of problematic instances we try to discourage in wrestling, be it from some of the local shows, or a company like Cleveland-based AIW. But if WWE keeps pushing forward and uses her in a way that’s not just cannon-fodder for their new Polly Pocket-type of women’s wrestler (small, “girly,” non-threatening), I think she could really work.
The match clip I linked to above is from a show for Hamilton, Ontario-based company Alpha-1. The premise was that a series of promos and matches had led up to powerhouse Seleziya Sparx going up against the diminutive Areebi for custody of Sparx’s dog because wrestling is real. That show had a number of recognizable names, but as someone who sat in that audience, I can very safely say those two had the match of the night. It was brutal, it had insane spots that I know very well a lot of dudes wouldn’t even attempt, and it was so far from not just the “Divas” idea of a match, but most of the matches you see booked for women on the indies. So, when I say she has potential, I’ve seen it, and all I can do is hope that they use it.
WWE is using the word “diversity” to advertise this class, and while it may be reactionary, it’s nice to see. Most people don’t think that speaking up and demanding better representation makes a difference, but I’ll never believe that. We should always think critically and demand more from pro wrestling, and even if we’re off to a slow start, even using the term “diversity” is something.
Now, let’s all wish these kids luck and hope that this “diverse” direction WWE wants us to think they’re taking is more than just lip service.
