Both PWInsider and the Wrestling Observer are reporting that WWE is currently in talks with WWN which is the parent company of indie promotions such as EVOLVE, Full Impact Pro and Shine. The report mentions that WWE would get WWN involved when it comes to scouting future talent for the company.
WWE officials were recently upset by the fact that ROH and Figures Inc. released a Kevin Steen action figure and that there’s a merchandising deal that allows the companies to promote Kevin Steen merchandise for several more years. WWE is trying to avoid situations like this in the future by using the WWN as another tier to their developmental system.
It’s also being reported that if an indie talent has some sort of exclusive merchandising deal with another company that WWE wouldn’t be interested in shining them. However, there will always exceptions to that notion depending on the talent. WWE is also very interested in Shine due to the fact that they’re currently pushing the NXT Divas division and are always looking for new female talent to bring into the fold.
To sum things up, WWE wants to have a relationship with WWN where they can basically sign any talent within their network whenever they want and avoid future hassles with merchandising. The talks are said to be ongoing and there’s no guarantee that a deal will be made.
