WWE held its last tryout of 2023 at the WWE Performance Center in December, bringing in athletes and influencers to see if they could be future WWE superstars.
Elaina, a former Princeton swimmer who now competes in bodybuilding, attended the tryout and spoke to SwimSwam about her experience.
"It kind of came out the blue. I was in prep for a bodybuilding show at the end of November. When I was in my prep, I received a message from the talent scouts at WWE on my Instagram, asking me if I was interested in trying out for WWE. I didn't really have any idea of what that would entail because that's not something I envisioned for myself. They reached out end of October as I was at the end of my prep, and I thought it would be a great opportunity since it was after my show. Go to Orlando, feel things out, see what it's all about," she said.
Elaina said it was a three-and-a-half day tryout that included passing medical tests, physical drills, and comfortability in front of a camera. She said bumping was tough at first because it's not instinctive to want to fall to your back.
"I will say, growing up a swimmer, you're not the most athletic on land. I feel like my athleticism shines through more in the water. I don't think that anything I did was super outstanding on land, but I do feel I am somewhat coordinated, I hope. I'm hoping the overall ability to be coachable, because I've been an athlete my whole life, was what shines through a little more than the natural on-land athleticism," she said.
Asked how she felt the tryout went, Gu replied, "I felt like it went okay. The first day was a little iffy because you don't know anyone, everyone is a stranger, and it's a little nerve-racking to be the first thing you do. The second day, it was more comfortable and you can get into your character a little more and show your personality a little more. The second day was better and over the past three years, being on social media and creating content like that has definitely helped me be comfortable in front of the camera because if you had asked me four years ago, there is no chance."
Finally, she was asked for final thoughts on the tryout and the experience as a whole.
"I'm really glad that I did that. First of all, meeting all these incredible athletes was a great experience in itself. There were athletes there, content creators, it was a great opportunity to meet cool and interesting people. I also feel I learned a good amount about myself doing this. I've never been one to be super comfortable in front of the camera, so being pushed out of my comfort zone in that aspect and getting in front of a camera, reading a script, making it my own, developing this character that was based off my own personality was really cool. It was a short trip, but it showed me how to break out of my comfort zone and shell out a little, show my personality a little more. Regardless of the outcome, at least I came away with that," she said.
Gu said she will find out soon if she will proceed with WWE.
Fans can view the full list of tryout participants by clicking here.
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