WWE signs Elly Finch to developmental contract after 2026 tryouts

Elly Finch has signed a developmental contract with WWE, PWInsider reported on October 22, 2026. The 23-year-old is set to join the next intake at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

WWE, the Stamford-based promotion, has continued to recruit athletes from outside professional wrestling, and Finch arrives with a multi-sport background. She competed in track and field at Michigan State University, specializing in shot put, and became the first girl to play varsity football at Royal Oak High School in Michigan before graduating from that school in 2023. Finch is 23 years old as of October 2026, though her exact date of birth has not been reliably established in available sources.

PWInsider reported that Finch attended WWE tryouts twice in 2026 — in January and August — prior to signing the developmental deal. The announcement on October 22, 2026 states she will join the next group at the Performance Center in Orlando.

Publicly available profiles do not confirm Finch’s official height, and no reliably verified information about a husband, boyfriend, or partner has been published, leaving her relationship status private. Social-media material referenced in reports includes a caption line, "A post shared by Elly Finch (@elly.finch)." Multiple tattoos have been noted on her arms, calf and epigastric region.

WWE’s Performance Center is described in reports as the environment where Finch will learn core professional-wrestling skills; sources say it will help her develop ring awareness, movement, timing and character work. The signing has been described as a developmental contract, which does not guarantee an immediate promotion to WWE’s main roster.

Observers reporting the move pointed to Finch’s background in shot put and high-school football as preparatory for the strength and conditioning elements of wrestling, and framed the signing as consistent with WWE’s practice of scouting athletes from collegiate sports and other athletic disciplines. Her transition from collegiate athletics to WWE’s developmental system follows that pattern.

As of October 23, 2026, reports confirm Finch’s developmental signing but no official WWE in-ring debut has been announced; she is expected to begin her next stage of development at the WWE Performance Center.