New WWE Signing Was Reportedly 'Politically Forced'

A new report has claimed that WWE was pressured into giving one of its newest signings a contract.

Triple H | WWE

With WrestleMania 42 now done and dusted, WWE has quickly moved on to building for the future, which means something of a reset across the board.

On April 24, several Superstars were released, with Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Kairi Sane, Nikki Cross, Alba Fyre, and the Motor City Machine Guns among those being moved on. Meanwhile, a new wave of NXT talent has begun arriving on the main roster.

This has seen Ricky Saints, Joe Hendry, Blake Monroe, Sol Ruca, Fatal Influence, and Ethan Page leave the developmental brand behind. In turn, this has left space for the likes of Lizzy Rain and Will Kroos to make an immediate impact with their NXT debuts earlier this week.

Lizzy Rain vs Nikkita Lyons | The CW Network

Those changes were followed by the news that WWE had signed four young stars as part of its latest NXT rookie class. However, one name in particular grabbed the headlines. That of former softball player Zoe Hines, the niece of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and actress Cheryl Hines.

Hines, who took part in a WWE tryout during SummerSlam weekend, has officially joined the company alongside Garrett Beck, Nicholas Panicali, and Alyssa Daniele. But despite her sporting background, a new report has claimed that Hines was signed by WWE due to political pressure linked to Linda McMahon's role in U.S. President Trump's administration.

Was Zoe Hines' signing political?

After previously suggesting that WWE might feel pressure to sign Hines, Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that the deal was a "forced hiring."

“I certainly heard a lot about Zoe Hines, I’d say six months ago, and it was very much like this is one that was politically forced on them."

"I mean, she’s a real athlete, she’s a softball player. When she had her tryout, it’s not like she knocked them dead or even knocked them even. It was very much said that it was a forced hiring because of who she was and because of Robert F. Kennedy and Linda McMahon both being in the cabinet, and it was just that she wanted to try... It was like Simone Johnson, the same thing."

Meltzer added that from the moment Hines expressed an interest in wrestling, it was "inevitable" that she'd be signed by WWE.

“I had heard people very much dreading this. As far as the hiring of her, I would say it was probably known easily a year ago that it was inevitable that this would happen.“

Back in January, Simone Johnson, who had been appearing in NXT as Ava, announced that she was leaving WWE. Johnson said it had been an "honor and privilege" to perform as Ava, but she'd decided to allow her contract to expire.

As the daughter of none other than The Rock, Johnson's 2020 signing was greeted with much fanfare, and in the process, she became the first fourth-generation Superstar in WWE history. However, her in-ring career was brief, and she transitioned to an NXT authority figure, serving as General Manager.