ORLANDO, Florida: WWE announced that they will be recruiting talent from the Middle East as part of their initiative to recruit new talent from around the world to train in performance center in Orlando, Florida.
The announcement was made by WWE COO and multi-time former world champion Paul Levesque better known by his ring name Triple H at the WWE performance center’s media visit during WrestleMania 33 weekend.
Levesque said during his speech that in recent years the WWE’S talent recruitment has gone global already recruiting performers from 22 different countries. He said the WWE is recruiting globally in a way they have never done before.
“To me the world has become a smaller place, whether its television, social media, the Internet or through the WWE network. To me talent are talent and I want to find them from every walk of life, from every country, from every city, from every village everywhere in the world” said the COO.
A lot of the current WWE superstars have come through the performance center and Arab News received their perspective on how it enhanced their abilities as superstars.
Aiden English from the tag team known as the Vaudevillains told Arab News that he could not have felt more prepared when he moved to the main roster because he learned everything in the performance center.
“You can do everything there. You train, we can work out, we can develop characters, we can film things, we can edit things, we can do an entire episode of smackdown live. Everything is available so by the time we walk through the curtain on smackdown it doesn’t feel foreign,” English said.
Former women’s champion Becky Lynch, who was training to be a wrestler since the age of 15, said the difference of what she learned is that in the performance center you learn to to tell a story and get the fans invested and an overall package.
“If you go to a wrestling school you learn how to do a moves. You learn how to do a wrist lock, you learn a hammer lock, whereas in here you learn how to be a superstar and how to communicate your story as an artist,” Becky said.
The performance center opened in 2013 in Orlando, home to WWE’s talent development program with 26,000 square feet of training facilities. The facility includes seven full size rings, a fully equipped strength and conditioning room, a sports medicine facility, a promo room with private studio for perfecting on camera techniques such as character development and performance skills.
Also in the center there is a cutting edge edit and production suites featuring a studio and voice over booth.
The facility is currently training 96 men and women from 16 countries who have an opportunity to become a WWE superstar.
WWE talent recruitment to hit the region
WWE talent recruitment to hit the region
Guardiola hails Man City’s ‘massive’ win over Newcastle
- Guardiola’s second-placed side closed the gap on leaders Arsenal to just two points with their tense victory at the Etihad Stadium
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Pep Guardiola labelled Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday as a “massive” moment in the Premier League title race.
Guardiola’s second-placed side closed the gap on leaders Arsenal to just two points with their tense victory at the Etihad Stadium.
Nico O’Reilly put City ahead in the first half and restored the lead before half-time after Lewis Hall had equalized.
City weren’t at their best in the second half, but they held on to pile pressure on spluttering Arsenal, who travel to Tottenham for the north London derby on Sunday.
Guardiola knew it was essential to make Arsenal sweat.
“Massive. Newcastle is an incredible team, awesome in physicality and speed they have up front. Physicality in the middle. Really tough but the team was unbelievable,” he said.
“It’s coming in best part of the season. Every single game will be similar to today.”
After finishing without a trophy last season, City are back in the hunt for the seventh English title of Guardiola’s reign.
They will have a game in hand on Arsenal after this weekend and are guaranteed to win the title if they win their last 11 league matches.
Guardiola has embarked on an expensive overhaul of City’s squad in the last 12 months, shedding aging stars like Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson and Kyle Walker and bringing in the likes of Marc Guehi, Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki.
The Spaniard is well aware that his new generation largely lacks the experience of winning under the pressure of a title race, which made their gritty success against Newcastle even more meaningful.
“70 percent of the players have never been in that situation, and I don’t play. So we have to live it, they know that every game will be like this,” he said.
“Especially at home, with five home games left. Today was the best crowd of the year, it was unbelievable with our people, really proud to be manager of these incredible people and fans.
“Of course in terms of points it’s important, but we have to improve to have chance to compete until the end. Now we deserve three more days off. Then another battle in Leeds.”
Guardiola singled out O’Reilly for praise after the young England midfielder’s pair of clinical finishes showed he won’t be affected by the strain of chasing Arsenal.
“Nico give us in the middle that physicality that we need. He now plays in his position,” he said.
“He has always played that, he is so complete and so young. I am really pleased the academy produced these incredible players, Nico, Phil (Foden), Rico (Lewis).”
