Two ASU Athletes Join WWE's 'Next In Line' Program

TEMPE, AZ —Two current Arizona State Sun Devils are among 15 collegiate athletes named on Monday to WWE's "Next In Line" program, which provides a pathway from collegiate athletics to professional wrestling, the WWE has announced.

Wrestler Cohlton Schultz, who finished second in the country in the heavyweight division at the NCAA Championships in March, and Case Hatch, a fullback on the Sun Devils football team, joined the second "Next In Line" class.

The program was launched last December and serves to recruit and develop future wrestling superstars, while also teaching participants how to maximize their own marketing potential.

NIL, which stands for name, image and likeness, was ushered in last summer and allows collegiate athletes to monetize their personal brand.

Participants in the "Next In Line" program will get to train at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, in addition to receiving resources in brand building, media training, communications, live event promotion, creative writing and community relations.

Upon completion of the program, select athletes may earn an exclusive opportunity to be offered a professional wrestling contract, according to the WWE.

In fact, the WWE said that all six athletes who graduated from the first class have either signed or are in discussion to join WWE on a full-time basis.

"The WWE NIL program has the potential to be transformational to our business," said Paul Levesque, WWE executive vice president of global talent strategy and development. "By creating partnerships with elite athletes at all levels across a wide variety of college sports, we will dramatically expand our pool of talent and create a system that readies NCAA competitors for WWE once their collegiate careers come to a close."

In September 2021, the WWE announced its first NIL deal with University of Minnesota wrestler Gable Steveson, who captured a gold medal at that summer's Tokyo Olympics.

The NIL deal allowed Steveson to return to college for his senior season, while also beginning Superstar training with the WWE.

Steveson actually defeated ASU's Schultz 6-2 in last year's NCAA heavyweight final. Schultz, a Parker, Colorado native, was just a redshirt freshman.

Hatch, who is from Perry High School in Gilbert, was a senior fullback for the Sun Devils last season. He saw action in 10 games in 2021, catching two passes for a total of 12 yards.

ASU is the only school with two athletes in the current "Next In Line" class. The group features both male and female athletes from a variety of sports, including: cheer and dance, football, wrestling, basketball, volleyball and track and field.