For the next generation of WWE Superstars,WWEhas invested significantly in its future, both in its current roster and its facilities and designations. WithWWELFGlaunching last Sunday on A&E, as well as the WWE NIL program that identifies collegiate level athletes to come and train,one of the other arms of this new generational push is WWE Independent Development, or WWE ID.
WWE ID signees have begun to heap high praise on their trainers and coaches, including Natalya,considered to be one of the top trainers in the current generation of new WWE Superstars as well as a member of the storied Hart Family.In an exclusive interview withScreenRant, Natalya spoke about some of the new signees and trainees, and the best piece of advice she gave them on their journey to superstardom.
During theWWE 2K25Hands On Event in Indianapolis,Natalya commented on Steel’s training at the Dungeon 2.0, as well as heaping praise on her and the other WWE ID signees who trained with them:
What I say at the Dungeon is, we fine tune the fine-tuning, and then we fine tune it some more, so I really love that she said [that]. She told a little story about a talk I gave to everybody about finding their inner ‘F you’. I won’t say the f word, but like ‘F you.’ What that means, essentially, is we can all be really, really nice backstage but when the bell rings, you gotta find that ‘F You.’ And you’re able to’t take no for an answer, you gotta push, push, push, and you gotta be the best, and you gotta bring that fire.
WWE ID Explained
A Quick Breakdown Of The Program
Announced by WWE in October 2024, WWE ID was designed to both helpsupport the development of independent wrestlersby allowing them access to designated wrestling schools, and providing a roadmap to joining WWE. Alongside the first signees to sign with WWE ID, which included Zayda Steel, Sean Legacy, and “Cartwheel” Jack Summit, wrestling schools like Booker T’s “Reality of Wrestling,” Cody Rhodes' “Nightmare Factory,” and Seth Rollins' “Black and Brave Academy” were designated as official WWE ID schools.
On February 1, WWE launchedWWE Evolve,a new television program airing exclusively on Tubi that will feature both WWE ID and Performance Center trainees, and will be run by WWE ID co-founder Gabe Sapolsky. In addition to this, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesqueannounced the creation of the men’s and women’s WWE ID Championships, which will be defended and competed for onWWE Evolve, which is slated to premiere on June 14, 2025.
Zayda Steel And Natalya Compliment One Another
Lots Of Love And Praise For Each
Zayda Steel, a fast-rising star in the independent scene, was one of the first announced signees to the WWE ID program. During a recent conversation withCasual Conversations with The Classic,she expressed admiration for both Natalya and her husband, TJ Wilson, whowelcomed them into their training facility, The Dungeon 2.0, a place Natalya hasreferred to as her “love letter” to professional wrestling, and a nod to the Hart Family’s legendary training center, The Dungeon.
“I can’t even put that into words because I grew up watching Total Divas and just obsessing over [Natalya] and her family I’ll say this, I learned the most and felt the most comfortable in that Dungeon [2.0]. Obviously when I first went there, I was shy. But she is so, so, so sweet and definitely brought a lot of confidence out of me.
Even as simple as like we were all working on heat, she stopped us, and was like ‘Hey, I need you guys to find your inner f*** you. All those bad words and negativity that you read on social media, I want you to feel it.’ She even used Ashante Thee Adonis as an example.
She was like he went from this and now look, he’s consistently used on TV. I just loved working with her and TJ [Wilson] as well. TJ, he was just standing there like [nodding his head] and I’m like [nervous], but that was cool. We also trained with Pete Dunne as well.”
With a family lineage that’s produced some of the best professional wrestlers of all time, Natalya is an ideal trainer for future WWE Superstars and is laser focused on providing the best training and psychology she can to the new crop of talent.By building on their existing infrastructure and their fundamentals, Natalya and the other WWE ID school can provide the WWE formul and methods and help build the next big thing.
Our Take On WWE ID
The Future Of WWE Is In Good Hands
With a robust training facility and new opportunities to cultivate and train new talent, WWE is securing its next generation of Superstars by training them in the WWE methods before they ever step foot in the Performance Center. While the pathway to the Performance Center could have had some roadblocks for independent wrestlers previously,WWE ID provides a full roadmap to any and all independent wrestlers who catch the eye of WWE’s talent scouts.
In addition to the designated schools, Natalya is primed perfectly as part of this new field of trainees, and provides the applicable training and methods necessary to succeed in WWE. The new television deal with Tubi will also allow the signees to hone in on another incredibly important part of their training, being TV ready when they take their next steps to NXT.
