AEW Looking to Groom Professional Athletes Into Wrestlers

All Elite Wrestling announced back in back in October 2019 that it had signed former professional and Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo to train as the promotion's first developmental wrestler. And based off comments Cody Rhodes made during Tuesday's media conference call, Ogogo won't be the last. Rhodes confirmed that he and Tazz plan on attending this year's NCAA National Championships for wrestling, and that the company will be looking at other events like the NFL combine to try and scout professional athletes who could possibly make the jump to professional wrestling.

"I know that me and Tazz want to take a trip to the NCAA Finals for collegiate wrestling," Rhodes said. I know the [NFL] Combine itself, there's eyes on Combine as far as grooming potentially professional athletes who have a look and size and athletic ability. But then again we're the DIY company and we have guys like Matt and Nick Jackson, the Young Bucks, who were born and bred on an independent level. They're still mining the independent scene as well. So our eyes are open."

Rhodes also announced that he has opened a new training school in Norcross, Georgia (outside of Atlanta) titled "The Nightmare Factory." He confirmed that both Ogogo and Sadie Gibbs will be training at the school.

"It is not affiliated with AEW other than it's affiliation with me," he said. "So maybe it could potentially grow into a full-time situation, but we don't have that many trainee wrestlers."

Elsewhere on the call, Rhodes addressed the contract situation surrounding Jeff Cobb. The Ring of Honor and New Japan star will make his in-ring AEW debut on this week's AEW Dynamite, and Rhodes is hoping it can lead to a long-term deal.

"[His deal] is still in gestation," Rhodes said. "Jeff works with New Japan, he works with Ring of Honor and now he works with AEW. I'm a big fan of Jeff Cobb's because I like shooters in wrestling. I don't consider myself one with my limited amateur background, but he's a tank and a special athlete. To be transparent it's in gestation. I hope that he maybe pursues a longer thing with AEW, but I don't want it to impede on anything he's doing in his soul. He wants to travel the globe and do all kinds of stuff, have it.

"That's one of the great things about AEW, there's no blanket contracts," he added. "Everybody's contracts is different about what they can do and where they can go."