Jordynne Grace is turning a familiar debate in WWE NXT circles into an academic exercise. Grace revealed Monday that she’s writing a research paper for her kinesiology class examining why female athletes transitioning to pro wrestling outperform their male counterparts in developmental training.
Grace outlined three main points she plans to explore in her paper:
“Writing a research paper in my kinesiology class on something highly debated in the wrestling world:
“Why female athletes transitioning to professional wrestling outperform their male counterparts in developmental training
“The biggest reasons:
– most women are coming from sports with high transferability to wrestling
– the female recruits have extensive experience being coached on precise movements
– recruiting for women focuses on skill; recruiting for men focuses on size”
Jordynne Grace @JordynneGrace Follow Why female athletes transitioning to professional wrestling outperform their male counterparts in developmental training
The biggest reasons:
– most women are coming from… Show more 3:32 PM · Aug 24, 2026
Grace’s argument ties into WWE’s own recruiting practices, though her conclusions have not been confirmed. The Next In Line program, launched in December 2021, recruits college athletes from a variety of sports and provides access to the Performance Center ahead of a potential full-time contract.
Public lists from the program show clear differences in the profiles selected. Male recruits tend to come from football, wrestling, and throwing events, while female recruits have also been drawn from gymnastics, soccer, softball, tennis, and track and field.
A current example is Kendal Grey. Before joining WWE through the NIL program, Grey was a three-time collegiate wrestling champion and a finalist for USA Wrestling’s Wrestler of the Year award in 2023. She currently holds the NXT Women’s Championship.