Exclusive Interview: Meet WWE ID Prospect Brad Baylor

WWE is known for expanding its company into bigger and better things. One of its next big projects is the WWE ID program.

The announcement of the WWE ID program opened new opportunities for upcoming wrestlers. The program “is designed to provide independent wrestlers a clear pathway to a potential career in WWE.” This is a significant decision by WWE, as many of its top stars, including Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and many more, have started in independent wrestling promotions. 

A handful of young talent was signed to this program, the youngest of whom is Brad Baylor. The 20-year-old has been growing quickly on the independent scene as a heel and will only continue to do so with the beginning of this next chapter. 

WWE only signs the best stars with athletic and charismatic potential. Scouting for WWE ID recruits, they found a strong group of talent, including 14 wrestlers, one being Brad Baylor. 

I had the chance to chat with Baylor about his wrestling career. Getting to know him better and learning what this opportunity means to him was a pleasure. Being so young and motivated, he can become an inspiration to many, as he is only beginning his career.

It will be exciting to see where his career goes, but let’s look at what Baylor has already done and plans to accomplish. 

Who is Brad Baylor?

Billing from Fairfield, Connecticut, at only 20 years old, Brad Baylor has begun to make his name known across the Northeast wrestling promotions. He is one-half of the Wrestling Open Tag Team Champions with fellow WWE ID recruit, Ricky Smokes. The two make up the tag team Swipe Right, which fits their characters perfectly as they are rising heels. 

However, before reaching this point of success, Baylor was simply a fan like many others. Growing up, he watched episodes of Monday Night Raw with his family while looking up to wrestlers such as Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. 

It wasn’t until he was in high school that he realized he could be a wrestler. After half-jokingly telling his high school strength and conditioning coach he wanted to be a WWE wrestler, he was introduced to wrestler Lucas Chase. From there, the ball began rolling, as Baylor already resembled a wrestler, from his looks to his athletic ability. 

Without wasting time, he began training at Paul Roma’s wrestling school, Paradise Alley Pro Wrestling, at 16. Only six months later, after turning 17, he had his first official match. Since then, Baylor has been involved in many promotions, including Northeast Wrestling, Beyond Wrestling, Limitless Wrestling, Rebel Spirit Pro Wrestling, and many more. 

While he spends much of his week, mostly the weekends, wrestling, he also studies communications at Southern Connecticut State University during the week. While this may be a demanding schedule, Baylor has shown his maturity and reliability, always showing up to his scheduled events with the utmost support from his friends and family on this wrestling journey. 

What To Watch

Considering that the WWE ID program is meant to find the next potential stars, now is the time to look at the recruits, as some may be one of the next champions. Assuming that Baylor will be very successful in the company, if you haven’t checked out his work, now is the time. 

One of his favorite matches was against former WWE star Matt Riddle at Northeast Wrestling’s Under the Stars event in July 2024. Baylor considered it an excellent experience, considering he used to watch Riddle wrestle before he ever stepped foot in a ring. The match was an intense back-and-forth battle as the two showed off their in-ring skills.

https://www.instagram.com/bradbay1or/reel/DBEiSxruP-U/

Another one of his favorite matches marks an important night in his career. In front of a sold-out crowd at the White Eagle in Worcester, MA, Brad Baylor won his first wrestling championship, the Wrestling Open Tag Team Championship, alongside his tag partner Ricky Smokes.

That same night, Baylor got ID’d by WWE. A night that he said was unforgettable. 

WWE ID

This expansion by WWE will help train and introduce upcoming stars to the WWE style of performance. Throughout this program, we will see some of our favorite independent wrestlers make well-earned WWE debuts.

These are the company’s next round of upcoming wrestlers. It will be exciting to see how this program unfolds, what it can become, and how these individuals can improve while under WWE training.

Baylor received training from some of the very best in New England, such as Paul Roma at PAPW and Mike Hollow at Elite Pro Wrestling. Training outside of New England, Baylor has been invited to train with WWE’s Natalya and Tyson Kidd in Florida.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1rwyhhuKyk/?hl=en&img_index=1

Through getting in the ring with these very experienced wrestlers, there is no question of how he got so talented. Now, being part of the WWE ID program, it will only progress with their training. Although the WWE ID program is still fresh, Baylor has said,

“I think, overall, just learning is what I’m going to take away from the most.”

Even though it’s only been a short time, he has already received coaching to help him through his career. When asked about some of the best advice that he received, Baylor had said that William Regal had told him to ‘wrestle like you’re hungry’ and to make every move mean something. Baylor had said,

“Making the little things mean the most is something I’ve learned that has stuck with me and that I can apply to everything in wrestling. I think that’s the most valuable piece of information I’ve learned because it’s so broad. It’s not one specific thing; it goes with everything.”

This is something you can quickly see in his matches.

What We Can Expect

Being so young in this industry, Baylor has many goals he wants to accomplish. He has yet to wrestle many matches and opponents, but he looks forward to them.

Regarding independent promotions, Baylor mentioned liking the idea of having a singles match with Ichiban. Also becoming the Northeast Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, a title Matt Taven has held for over two years.

Moving onto possible outcomes of the WWE ID program, Baylor is excited to see what he and Smokes can bring to NXT. He pointed out how many of the tag teams there typically aren’t paired for long, or they are single wrestlers that need to be paired together. With Smokes and Baylor, while they do wrestle as singles competitors, they have been a tag team for over a year.

Over this time, they have built legitimacy as a tag team that can be brought to NXT. They have this chemistry and energy the rest don’t have.

Moving past NXT and taking it to PLEs, Baylor would love to be part of WWE’s Money in the Bank. Since he was a kid, it has been one of his favorite matches. This could lead to his next goal: becoming the youngest WWE World Champion.

The youngest WWE World Champion is Randy Orton, who won the title at 24. Now, over twenty years later, WWE has someone confident and young enough to beat the record. At only twenty, Baylor has plenty of time to do so, as he is just starting the WWE ID program.

If you want to follow Brad Baylor and his wrestling journey, you can follow him on Instagram and X @bradbay1or, or tune in every Thursday to Wrestling Open on IWTV. To follow his WWE ID journey, follow with WWE ID’s X account.

More From LWOS Pro Wrestling