Former Sumo & Football Athlete Reportedly Signs WWE NXT Contract

WWE has never been shy about their interest in converting collegiate, or even pro, football players into pro wrestlers, including the likes of future WWE Hall of Famer The Rock and current WWE stars like Trick Williams and Roman Reigns. But never has the WWE had an athlete that was both a football player or a sumo wrestler. That has now changed, as PWInsider Elite reports that the promotion has signed 24 year old Hidetora Hanada to a developmental contract.

Born in Wakayama, Japan, Hanada became interested in sumo wrestling through his father, an amateur sumo wrestler in his youth, and began competing in high school. He would go on to have a successful career, winning Gold in heavyweight at the 2018 and 2019 Junior World Sumo Championships, held in Osaka, Japan and Taoyuan, Taiwan respectively, before winning Gold in heavyweight at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama.

Despite the success, Hanada decided to pursue a career in American football, having been a fan of it from a young age. After participating in a Canadian Football tryout in 2023, he would enroll at Colorado State University as a defensive linemen; he would play in only two games for the school before suffering an injury in 2024, never playing again. Hanada would graduate from Colorado State in December 2025, and despite attempting alternate routes towards getting to the NFL, he was ultimately unsuccessful.

Hanada transferring to professional wrestling isn't a complete surprise, however, as WWE has previously signed him to an NIL deal while he was at Colorado State. Earlier this year, Hanada stated that he would pursue a wrestling career with WWE if a final attempt to make the NFL didn't work out. It's unclear when Hanada will make his debut for WWE, or if he will formally be announced alongside another new Performance Center class, as is usually routine.