Exclusive: New WWE Next In Line program class includes sons of Mark Henry, Scott Steiner
Exclusive: New WWE Next In Line program class includes sons of Mark Henry, Scott Steiner
Show Caption
Hide Caption
John Cena warns media, he will ruin wrestling, he is the last real champion in WWE
After making history at WrestleMania 41, John Cena warns the media that he will ruin wrestling and he is the last real champion in WWE
Some wrestling royalty will be part of the next group of potential WWE stars.
WWE has revealed the fifth class of its Next In Line (NIL) program, USA TODAY Sports confirmed, with 12 former college athletes making the jump to the ring with the hope of one day being on the company's roster. The class was finalized the same night as Money in the Bank 2025 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
The 12 athletes come from across the country and played various sports, from football to hockey to lacrosse. The names that will stand out in the class are Oklahoma football player and wrestler Jacob Henry, the son of former World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry. Also on the list is former Jacksonville State receiver Brock Rechsteiner, the son of former world champion Scott Steiner. His uncle is Rick Steiner and his cousin is current WWE star Bron Breakker.
WWE new NIL class
Brock Rechsteiner (Jacksonville State, football)
Jacob Henry (Oklahoma, football and wrestling)
Meghan Walker (Nebraska, track and field)
TJ Bullard (Central Florida, football)
Madison Kaiser (Minnesota, hockey)
Garrett Beck (Grand Canyon, lacrosse)
Kerrigan Huynh (University of Central Oklahoma, track and field)
Fatima Katembo (LSU Shreveport, basketball)
Bianca Pizano (Michigan State, field hockey)
Gina Adams (Lynn University, basketball)
Hidetora Hanada (Colorado State, football)
Zuriel Jimenez (Columbia University, track and field)
What is the WWE NIL program?
Established in 2021, WWE introduced the NIL program as a way to identify future stars and prepare them for a career in wrestling. WWE sought college athletes through NIL deals. Former Miami basketball players Haley and Hanna Cavinder were part of the program.
While not every person that entered the program has turned out to be a WWE star, some have not only made rosters, but have turned out to be successful in the ring. That includes NXT Champion Oba Femi and NXT Tag Team Champion Tank Ledger.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Becky Lynch Wins Women's Intercontinental Title At WWE Money In The Bank
Becky Lynch walked into Money in the Bank looking to get a title back, and walked out with one wrapped around her waist. During tonight's premium live event, Lynch defeated Lyra Valkyria to win the WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship. The match Lynch settled things for now between the pair. In the match, Lynch walked out with the win through a bit of underhanded means. Advertisement Late in the match, both Valkyria and Lynch barely avoided being counted out after battling outside of the ring. The duo then began trading pin reversals, with Lynch eventually winning by holding onto Valkyria's shorts. After the win, Lynch made sure Valkyria lived up to her promise, and had her raise her arm up in victory. Lynch took it a bit too far, though, and made Valkyria do it in all four directions, then put the belt around her waist. Valkyria had had enough, though, and put the belt around Lynch's waist, then suplexed her before hitting a Nightwing to leave Lynch down. WWE's Money in the Bank is taking place from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The men's match will feature Solo Sikoa, LA Knight, Penta, Seth Rollins, Andrade, and El Grande Americano. Advertisement READ MORE: WWE Money in the Bank Results: Review, Grades, Card For June 7 Are you excited about the result? Should Becky Lynch have won? What do you think happens next with her and Valkyria? Let us know in the comment section below. The post Becky Lynch Wins Women's Intercontinental Title At WWE Money In The Bank appeared first on Wrestlezone.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Lincoln Riley reveals reason for USC football's recruiting surge
The post Lincoln Riley reveals reason for USC football's recruiting surge appeared first on ClutchPoints. Last week, the USC football team picked up a commitment from five-star tight end Mark Bowman. That was the before the calendar turned to June, and yet it was the 27th commitment that the Trojans have landed in the 2026 recruiting class. USC is on another level right now as it has far and away the best recruiting class in the country, and more commitments are likely on the way. Advertisement So, what changed? The USC football team has always recruited well, but never like this. The Trojans are on a different level right now, and NIL support is a big reason why. 'We were very behind,' USC head coach Lincoln Riley said, according to an article from On3. 'There's no other way to put it. The belief and excitement around this program, for all those who support us, is high right now. The more we've built and have had some of the success that we did early, it's just created belief and momentum. It's giving validity to what we're trying to do. And then all of a sudden, more people want to support it. More people want to come to work here. More recruits want to come here because they see what's happening, and they see that USC is really taking this seriously. This is not one of those things where it's a bunch of hollow promises, and things aren't being followed through. It's important to this university right now.' While the Trojans were behind other big college football programs, they were still in a good spot compared to other schools. Still, USC is expected to compete with the best of the best, and the program is starting to feel like it can accomplish that. 'Compared to when we started, there is a lot of difference,' Riley said. 'There was not a whole lot here at that point. We had to do a lot of work to build, not just to get it going, but to try to build an infrastructure to educate our fans, our donors, people around this program that care about it, and why this was important.' Advertisement Lincoln Riley is well aware of the lofty expectations at USC, and he knows that his team hasn't been good enough in recent years. He and the rest of the staff are constantly working to put the program in the best position possible. 'It can never come together soon enough,' he added. 'I know our expectations as a staff and at this place are as high as they get. You're just trying to push things along as much as possible. At that point, I was confident and excited about some of the changes that we had made and some of the progress that we had made. They're still going to continually be decisions that we have to make, moves that we have to make to continue to elevate this program. While no progress has been made on the actual football team, this USC team still feels like things are moving in the right direction. 'Every step right now feels good,' Riley said. 'You feel the progress within the walls right now, the ability to be able to go out. The progress has put us back in a position where we feel like we can have an opportunity to bring in the very best into our program, whether it's staff members, whether it's recruits. You go into this recruiting cycle, and you feel like you got a shot to go add the very best people in the business, the people that are going to help propel USC forward.' Advertisement Lincoln Riley and the rest of the USC football team are feeling good, but they know that there is still a lot of work to be done. 'I don't know if comfortable is the right word,' Riley admitted. 'I know we're making progress. I know it, and I feel it and I see it. I've compared it — when we got here, it's like you're looking up at a dam and there's leaks everywhere. You're just constantly trying to fix things and plug leaks over and over. That's all you have time for. I'm not saying it's perfect right now, but there are not nearly as many leaks. We're gaining ground and building momentum.' Recruiting at this level is huge for the USC football team, and it is certainly a good sign for the future. However, it means nothing unless the Trojans can actually start putting it together on the gridiron. Related: Michigan football WR coach reveals 'unique' Bryce Underwood traits Related: Former Boston College quarterback heading to Tennessee State
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
WWE Money In The Bank 2025 Results As Seth Rollins Wins Men's Ladder Match
Seth Rollins is now a two-time Money in the Bank winner. (Credit: Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty ... More Images) WWE Money in the Bank 2025 had one overwhelming favorite in the men's match, and as it turns out, Seth Rollins was the favorite for a reason. En route to WWE's latest pay-per-view, the company assembled one of the most unique MITB fields in recent memory: Andrade, El Grande Americano, LA Knight, Penta, Rollins and Solo Sikoa. In the show's semi-main event, a slew of superstars not even in the match, including Bronson Reed, Jacob Fatu and Bron Breakker, showed up in an attempt to help their stables win the briefcase. Once the dust settled, however, one man was able to leave the Intuit Dome as the winner of the 2025 WWE Money in the Bank match and with that a guaranteed future world title match. WWE went the most obvious route with the 2025 men's Money in the Bank match winner: Seth Rollins. The clear betting favorite and the logical one, too, Rollins left the Intuit Dome with the Money in the Bank briefcase after a chaotic, interference-filled men's MITB match. Just as Naomi's victory was widely expected, so was Rollins, the lone star in the bout who is consistently pushed as a main eventer. Some of the key highlights of the men's ladder match were: While Fatu's betrayal of Sikoa stole the show, that major moment was also, well, obviously coming. WWE had teased for weeks upon weeks that Fatu, one of the company's fastest rising stars, would turn babyface in the near future. As it turns out, WWE finally pulled the trigger at Money in the Bank 2025, and Fatu's interference played a big role in Rollins capitalizing for the win. That could be seen from a mile away, with reports emerging that Rollins would likely win the match and earn a guaranteed world title shot. Looking at the other competitors in the match, Rollins quite clearly had the best shot at becoming world champion over the past year. The only question entering Money in the Bank was: is Rollins winning too obvious? Maybe, maybe not. But even if it was, WWE stuck to its guns and gave Rollins a second briefcase win at Money in the Bank 2025, and don't be surpised if he's world champion sooner rather than later.
