Earlier, we posted WWE’s press release listing the latest developmental signees to report to to the Performance Center. Not all of the names WWE announced were necessarily breaking news, as the Tough Enough winners were on there, but there were plenty of other names that hadn’t been officially announced yet. That includes a few of the most notable names on the independent scene…sort of. WWE makes a point of only including real names, so it wasn’t immediately apparent who some of the wrestlers were.
That said, Richard Swann of Baltimore, Maryland is obviously Rich Swann, best known for his work in CZW, Dragon Gate, PWG, WXW, and the WWN family of promotions (Dragon Gate USA, Evolve, and Full Impact Pro). He’s a talented high flyer known for moves like the Rich Kick, a standing 450 Splash.
Christopher Girard of Boston, Massachusetts, is best known as Biff Busick. He’s made the rounds a in many of the same promotions as Swann, but he has more of a hard-hitting, grounded style. Which isn’t to say he doesn’t fly, but he doesn’t do it as much as Swann.
Finally, Adrienne Reese of Dallas, Texas is Athena. Originally trained by Rodney Mack with additional training later from Booker T, she’s been one of the top female wrestlers on the independent scene for several years. She’s incredibly smooth in the ring, with a nice, well-rounded mix of submissions, some flying, and more. It’s not an exaggeration at all to say that she’s probably right with or just below Natalya and Asuka as the best and most polished women on the roster.
