WWE ID Adds Josiah Jean and Monica Monroe as Reality of Wrestling Prospects Make Their Mark
WWE ID continues to keep one foot firmly planted in independent wrestling, and two more names have officially entered the conversation.
Josiah Jean and “Lady Bird” Monica Monroe have been announced as WWE ID prospects following Reality of Wrestling's Rise to Wrestling Royalty — another example of WWE keeping a close eye on talent developing outside of its own system.
And in Monroe's case, she didn't exactly arrive quietly.
Monroe defeated Laynie Luck to capture the WWE ID Women's Championship, immediately giving wrestling fans another reason to pay attention to her.
That's the part of WWE ID that I find genuinely interesting.
Independent wrestling has always been where wrestlers learn who they are.
You can train someone to bump. You can teach someone where the hard camera is. You can polish presentation and production once they're inside a major system.
But there's something incredibly valuable about wrestling in front of different crowds, working different opponents, learning how to adjust when something doesn't go according to plan and figuring out what actually makes people care about you.
That's experience you earn.
Reality of Wrestling has also developed a reputation as a place worth watching for emerging talent, making Jean and Monroe's inclusion in WWE ID another reminder that WWE's developmental scouting extends well beyond the walls of the Performance Center.
For Monroe, becoming WWE ID Women's Champion adds another layer.
She's no longer simply someone WWE has identified as having potential. She's carrying a championship attached directly to the program and now has an opportunity to establish herself against wrestlers throughout WWE ID's independent network.
Jean's addition is equally worth watching as WWE continues identifying wrestlers who could eventually make the jump from independent wrestling into the company's larger developmental pipeline.
We've seen variations of this journey before.
The difference now is that WWE ID gives fans an opportunity to watch part of that process happen in real time.
And personally, I like that.
Independent wrestling shouldn't just be treated like a waiting room before someone gets signed. It's where careers are built, characters are discovered and wrestlers learn lessons they simply can't learn anywhere else.
Josiah Jean and Monica Monroe have earned WWE's attention.
Now comes the fun part.
Let's see what they do with it...