WWE executive comments on the hiring and releasing process with developmental talent

James Kimball, WWE’s Senior Vice President, Head of Talent Operations & Strategy, spoke to BleacherReport.com about the company’s hiring and releasing process with developmental talent…

“We come into each (tryout) week with gaps that need to be filled. There’s a full system in place where there’s a churn and a schedule where evaluations take place. At that two-year mark, if you’ve not made it on NXT TV on a regular basis, it’s just not for you and it’s not for us.”

“We’ll do a tryout and then they’ll do a set of releases and churn out. Our goal is to add volume, quality and depth to developmental. Coming into this week, we have a 110 talents in developmental. The goal at the end of this year is 130. The sweet spot for us long-term is around 150. During COVID in the last couple of years, that number got below 100. We’re replenishing it, but we’re replenishing it with what we believe to be real premium, quality talent.”