WWE has reportedly signed Hidetora Hanada, a defensive lineman at Colorado State and a former sumo grand champion.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that he has been signed to WWE NXT. The 24-year-old showed up at the WWE HQ in Stamford, Connecticut, in 2025 and also participated in a tryout for the promotion.
Hanada has the kind of unusual athletic background WWE tends to look at. Standing tall at 6’1 and weighing 280lbs, Hanada has played football for Colorado State and competed in Sumo at the 2022 World Games in Alabama.
He also won the Junior World Sumo Championships in 2018 and 2019. In the past, Hanada tried out for the NFL but was not selected. He had also expressed an interest in pro wrestling last year, while revealing that he signed a WWE NIL deal.
His sumo background and athleticism could make him a strong prospect for WWE’s developmental system at the Performance Center.
