The WWE SummerSlam Week tryouts will be overseen by Big E, WWE Senior Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development James Kimball, and WWE Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
The three-day tryout camp, which will start on Wednesday, July 27 at the Wildhorse Saloon music and event venue in downtown Nashville, has been announced by WWE. Then, on Friday, July 29, a SummerSlam Audition Viewing Experience will be held for the first time ever to give fans a peek at the tryout procedure behind the scenes. General Admission tickets for the Viewing Experience cost $20, while VIP tickets cost $1,000 and include with a ringside photo with WWE Superstars and Legends. Independent performers were reportedly invited to the camp, but according to WWE’s statement, the tryout is only for college athletes who are currently enrolled or have just graduated.
According to Marc Raimondi of ESPN, Big E will assess possible future Superstars alongside Triple H, Kimball, and other WWE employees.
Big E stated that he wished WWE had something similar to offer when he was a college football player. He added that he was looking forward to the chance to talk with other athletes who were searching for a career after finishing school.
“I wish there was an exit program for college athletes, because you spend so much of your time on campus studying for your sport or participating for your sport or practicing for your sport,” Big E said. “You devote so much of your life to it, and then when it’s gone, it is such a distinct drop-off. It’s so hard to prepare for that. That was something that was really hard for me mentally too.”
Over 50 male and female competitors “with collegiate athletic backgrounds in football, basketball, track and field, wrestling, volleyball, gymnastics, cheer and dance” are scheduled to compete in WWE. As part of the tryout process, athletes will participate in performance evaluations, individual and group promo evaluations, in-ring technical sessions, and sit-down interviews. Several athletes who participated in the NFL Rookie Mini Camps for 2022 are featured at the invitation-only event.
For those who missed it, you can read Big E’s most recent update on his recovery from a broken neck and return to action by clicking here. You can read his remarks about wrestler support, especially the gift of contrition he received from Ridge Holland, by clicking here.
