Wrestling fans love it when we see the biggest stars in the world jump ship between promotions, like when Adam Copeland shows up in AEW or Penta arrives in WWE. While these might be exciting moments, it’s not how a wrestling company like WWE gets most of its wrestlers. WWE loves to build new talent from the ground up. Two decades ago, down in OVW, they turned John Cena, Randy Orton, and Dave Bautista into megastars despite them having limited to no experience. These days, that’s what NXT is for. Names like Trick Williams and Tiffany Stratton weren’t indie wrestlers showing up in WWE’s developmental as was often the case in the past. Now, though, it’s WWE’s NIL program that could be the path to wrestling glory. So with that in mind, let’s introduce you to WWE’s next potential huge star, Gina Adams.
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What Is WWE NIL?
The Program Stands For “Next In Line”
- WWE NIL was formed after the NCAA allowed athletes to make money off of their name and likeness.
- NIL recruits are trained at the WWE Performance Center.
- After completing the NIL program, select athletes are offered a WWE contract.
WWE loves to sign talented college athletes and mold them into future stars. That’s what happened with names like Bianca Belair, who was an All-American Track and Field Star at the University of Tennessee before she became a wrestler. If you’re already a young athlete, you have the tools to learn how to become a professional wrestler as well, so WWE created a new program that specialized in this.
WWE NIL (which stands for “Next in Line”) was formed in December 2021 on the heels of a new ruling that summer which allowed college athletes, with permission given by the NCAA, to make money off of their name and likeness. On WWE’s recruitment website, they say this about NIL:
“WWE has constructed a comprehensive program to recruit and develop potential future Superstars. Dubbed “Next In Line™,” the groundbreaking NIL program will provide a clear pathway from college athletics to WWE through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds.
“All athlete partnerships will feature access to the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., in addition to resources across the organization including brand building, media training, communications, live event promotion, creative writing and community relations. Upon completion of the NIL program, select athletes may earn an exclusive opportunity to be offered a WWE contract.”
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Who Is WWE NIL Recruit Gina Adams?
Adams Is A Star Basketball Player At Lynn University
- Gable Steveson and Oba Femi were part of WWE NIL.
- Gina Adams is a college basketball player from Ohio.
- She missed an entire season due to injury.
WWE’s NIL program has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons the last week due to Bill Goldberg. After his retirement match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Goldberg went on Ariel Helwani’s show to not only complain about his sendoff, but to say that WWE wanted to sign his son, Gage, a college football player, to NIL but he nixed the idea after seeing how little Gage would get paid. That’s unfortunate for Goldberg’s kid, because the NIL program is not about making big bucks but getting world-class training at the Performance Center to become a pro wrestler.
Some major names have already been in NIL. Gable Steveson, the Olympic gold medalist, may have failed in WWE, but he was part of it. Better yet was Oba Femi, who went from being a track and field athlete to an NXT Champion. In June, several more additions to NIL were announced, including Mark Henry’s son, Jacob. Among them was also a name you probably don’t know: Gina Adams.
The 5’11” Adams was born in West Lake, Ohio. After being a star basketball player in high school, she first went to college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she played basketball again. She had a pretty good career there, averaging 12 points per game in her sophomore year, but missed the entirety of last season due to injury. She then transferred to Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, but now she has big wrestling dreams.
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Will Gina Adams Become A WWE Star?
She Has The Look WWE Likes For The Women’s Division
- Adams is very active on social media and has attended WWE shows.
- She looks like she could be Nikkita Lyons’ sister.
- Adams asked Lyons if she wanted to be in a tag team.
One look at Gina Adams and you can see why WWE wanted her. No doubt, she’s an attractive young woman, and she is all over Instagram, posing for the camera and sharing videos and photos of herself at WWE shows. She certainly doesn’t come off as shy, but someone who loves the spotlight and would make the best of it if she makes it in WWE.
The next step, if Adams makes it through NIL training, would be a spot on the NXT roster. If she gets that far, there might already be a way in waiting for her. Gina Adams looks a lot like NXT star Nikkita Lyons, to the point that they could be sisters. It led to Gina taking to Instagram to ask if the two should be in a tag team. Who knows how far Gina Adams will go in WWE, but it’s looking very likely that you’ll be seeing her on WWE TV sooner rather than later.
