Report: Indie wrestlers, MMA fighter, and more set for upcoming WWE tryouts
Following the transition of several top NXT names, such as Trick Williams, Jordynne Grace, Je’Evon Evans, and possibly Oba Femi & Blake Monroe, WWE will now look to fill those gaps with recruits from Evolve and other streams via the WWE Tryouts. As previously reported by Bryan Alvarez, WWE is finally set to host its tryouts in the coming week, with Fightful Select providing a detailed update on the scheduled participants.
Set to start from this upcoming week, Fightful Select noted that some interesting indie names have been planned for the tryouts. Fightful Select has confirmed indie wrestler Bruss Hamilton to be part of the tryouts. Airica Demia was also set for a tryout but was later informed that she was in Florida to train at the Dungeon 2.0 and wrestle at a showcase event. Fightful Select has also yet to provide an update on Notorious Mimi’s status for the tryouts. Both wrestlers were at Nattie Neidhart and TJ Wilson’s Dungeon 2.0, this past week.
According to a report by both PWInsider and Fightful Select, former United States Marine and Strongman Joshua Hillen, alongside 27-year-old basketball player James Karnik, and MMA fighter Regina Tarin, are all set for the tryouts.
Hillen, 5’7″, recently won America’s Strongest Veteran in Las Vegas in October. He also stood first in the Trump Weights Axle Clean and Press, the Keg Carry Over Bar, and the Sandbag Throw events. Karnik was recently seen averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds per game in Eurocup, whereas Tarin is a Mexican MMA fighter and holds a pro-record of 7-0-0.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
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