Former Stone Bridge High School football player Momen Zahid has signed a development deal with the WWE that could one day make him a professional wrestler.
The WWE today announced the signing of 14 college athletes to its “Next in Line” program — which is meant to act as a clear pathway from college athletics to the WWE.
The NIL program “serves to recruit and develop potential future Superstars and continues to enhance WWE’s talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds,” the announcement read.
The line-up of includes students athletes from baseball, track & field, gymnastics, football, wrestling, and even cheerleading.
Zahid played on the defensive line for Stone Bridge and helped the team win a state championship his senior year. He has gone on to play for William & Mary where he’s a junior majoring in biology.
In the program, the students have access to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando and learn about brand building, media training, live event promotion, and other skills used by pro wrestlers. At the end of the program, they could be offered a contract with the WWE.
According to the WWE, so far 60 college athletes have been part of the NIL program since it was launched two years ago, and seven of them have signed full-time contracts and train year around in Orlando.
Congrats to Momen and best of luck!
(Image at top: Momen Zahid via Instagram)