WWE ID Championships to be open to all indie wrestlers

WWE has announced some more information regarding its recently introduced ID Championships.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that WWE had created men’s and women’s title belts for its ID program. The title tournaments are set to begin next week at two indie events in Las Vegas during WrestleMania week. Those events are being hosted by Game Changer Wrestling and Future Stars of Wrestling.

The tournaments will continue in various independent promotions until the inaugural champions are crowned. While only ID-contracted wrestlers are featured, WWE has confirmed that non-contracted indie talent will be able to challenge for the belts after the champions are decided.

“The WWE ID Championships will be open to all independent wrestlers once the champions are crowned,” WWE announced. “The titles will be defended at various independent wrestling events. If a non-WWE ID prospect wins the title, they will be awarded a WWE ID contract.”

The men’s and women’s tournaments have different formats. In the men’s tournament, there is a double-elimination first round where competitors are eliminated once they lose two matches. It will then become single-elimination once the tournament is down to its final four.

For the women’s tournament, there is a round-robin format. Zayda Steel vs. Kylie Rae is the first bout announced on the women’s side. Matchups for the men’s tournament include Ice Williams vs. Brad Baylor, Marcus Mathers vs. Sam Holloway, Sean Legacy vs. Ricky Smokes, and It’s Gal vs. Cappuccino Jones. All WWE ID-contracted wrestlers will compete in one of the tournaments.

WWE launched the ID program in late 2024. It provides ID-contracted talent with financial and other support while on the indies, and potentially a pathway to earning a full-time NXT deal. ID wrestlers are also featured on the WWE Evolve series that recently premiered on Tubi.