Usos’ Brother, Son Of Former WWE Star, More Highlight New NXT Class

Keep the shelves stocked. There have been a lot of wrestlers leaving WWE and NXT over the last few months and that is likely to be the case again in the future. The shelves have been greatly depleted in a near record time, but that at some point some new wrestlers are going to be brought in. That seems to be the case again, and there are some names that might ring a bell.

WWE has announced six new names as part of the Performance Center Class of August 2021. Some of the signings are related to WWE stars, with another having a different kind of wrestling connection:

• Joseph Fatu, the younger brother of the Usos, standing 6’2 and weighing 240lbs. He played college football and has been wrestling for two years.

• Ben Buchanan, the son of former WWE star Bull Buchanan and a high school wrestling champion, standing 6’4 and weighing 250lbs. He was the Alabama high school wrestling champion and was undefeated in the 2019-2020 season.

• Bobby Steveson, the brother of Olympic Gold Medal winning wrestler Gable Stevson and an NCAA wrestler from the University of Minnesota. He stands 6’ and weighs 220lbs.

The other three members of the class have athletic backgrounds of their own, as per WWE.com:

Brady Booker comes to the Performance Center from the world of college football, having played middle linebacker at the University of South Dakota. Also a skilled archer, the 21-year old hails from Lasalle, Ill., stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 245 pounds.

Jessica Woynilko is a 21-year-old gymnast, bodybuilder and CrossFit athlete from Prior Lake, Minn. As a gymnast, she specialized in tumbling and trampoline, competing on the 2016 U.S. national team.

Twenty-three-year-old Joshua Dawkins of DeBary, Fla., is the latest trainee of WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley to be signed to the WWE Performance Center. The 6-foot-1 recruit is also the nephew of NBA legend Darryl Dawkins.

Their relatives are certainly wrestling names. Check out some of the older generation and trainer in action:

Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. The Usos – SmackDown Tag Team Title Match: SmackDown, June 4, 2021

Bull Buchanan vs. Albert (2002-08-17)

D-Von Dudley vs. Bray Wyatt: SmackDown, December 3, 2015

Opinion: This can make for some of the most interesting announcements in wrestling as you never know when you are going to find the next hidden gem. Bringing in someone with a direct connection to the wrestling world can do a lot of good and opens up several doors. Throw in some different athletic backgrounds, including an amateur wrestler, and you could have something very interesting indeed.

Which of these prospects interests you the most? Who else should WWE sign? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 60,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 6,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books.

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