WWE COO Triple H has defended the company’s NIL program which will see college athletes be given preference over independent wrestling talent.

In August, WWE introduced a new policy in which they would ease back on hiring indie wrestlers, instead focussing on athletes from other sports that they will train in WWE’s style.

Speaking with The Athletic, Triple H said that WWE’s focus on untrained athletes being brought in as wrestlers benefits the company:

“The tryouts we did before, where there were a lot of athletes and experienced indie guys, I don’t think there’s any less of a ‘That’s a rock star,’” Levesque said. “The indie stuff, half of it is, ‘He’s a good in-ring performer, but the rest is a mystery. He’s got bad habits I have to get him out of.’ This is almost cleaner. It’s a blank slate.”

The Game also discussed WWE’s new short-term deals, in which new signings are given a six-month period to show whether they can handle the rigorous training and schedule.

Triple H said it is beneficial for the company to not waste time and resources on wrestlers that may have in-ring experience but can’t handle being a WWE Superstar.