WWE NIL Recruit Released From Team And Served Protective Order
It hasn't even been a week since the scandal surrounding Vince McMahon grew several sizes following the release of a second Wall Street Journal article that revealed the extent of the former WWE chairman's alleged payouts to cover up various affairs and sexual misconduct. Now, another scandal could be ready to hit the promotion, this time involving someone from WWE's NIL program.
On Wednesday afternoon, The O'Colly, the student-run newspaper at Oklahoma State University, reported that amateur wrestler and WWE NIL recruit AJ Ferrari had been removed from the wrestling team this past Monday. The story also said Ferrari had recently been served a protection order by a woman in the area of Stillwater, Oklahoma, where Oklahoma State is based. The protection order had reportedly been issued against Ferrari last Tuesday. An investigation is ongoing, though no records have been released on the matter at this time, making it unclear why the order was issued against Ferrari. The paper noted that more updates are expected to come on this story.
Born in Dallas, Texas, the 20-year-old Ferrari won the 2021 National Championship in folkstyle wrestling and has compiled a 30-1 record during his three years at Oklahoma State. He was forced to withdraw from the rest of his junior year after being involved in a severe car accident in January, ultimately requiring surgery to treat his injuries.
Known for his outspokenness and large social media following, Ferrari was one of the first 15 recruits to WWE's NIL program when it was launched in December 2021, with the expectation he would transition to WWE once his amateur career at Oklahoma State ended. If he were to sign, Ferrari would become the second notable amateur wrestler to join WWE in as many years, following Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. Notably, Steveson has also been the subject of recent controversy, having previously been investigated for sexual assault while attending the University of Minnesota.
As of this writing, WWE has not commented on The O'Colly's story.