It Took Ember Moon Eight Years And Four Tryouts Before WWE Signed Her

Back when NXT’s Ember Moon was signed by WWE in October of last year, we here at With Spandex were very excited that a young star we fell in love with on the independent scene was heading to the big time. Over the summer, she made her onscreen NXT debut at TakeOver: Brooklyn II, and now seems poised to be the next breakout NXT women’s star (or at least the next serious threat to Asuka’s NXT Women’s Championship). But not many people know the long and arduous road the former Athena had to travel before she got that coveted WWE developmental contract.

In a wonderful, lengthy feature in the Miami Herald, Ember Moon talked all about her journey, which included a staggering four different WWE tryouts over the course of eight years.

“When I was 18, I had my very first tryout for WWE,” she said. “I had another tryout, when I was 19, and another tryout when I was 20. After that didn’t go the way I wanted it to, I decided I was going to make them want me, and that’s exactly what I did. I traveled all around the world and made a name for myself on the indies.

“So when I tried out again and they saw all the experience that I had — eight years later seeing me for the fourth time — and they saw all the potential that I had, they saw something special in me.”

That extra seasoning certainly helped, and how quickly she is turning heads in NXT is proof of her ability and experience. She also talked about what it was like to make her debut in Brooklyn, and how she’s getting support in WWE that she never encountered on the independent scene.