Last summer, WWE started the WWE ID program to help the development of wrestlers on the independent circuit. These wrestlers would be trained for a potential career in WWE while still wrestling on the indies. Two months ago, WWE Evolve premiered on Tubi, allowing those wrestlers to be on TV.
A Men’s and Women’s ID Championship has been created, with the winners yet to be crowned. Those titles would be defended both on Evolve and on the indies. So far, there have been lots of standouts on the show between the ID prospects and the Performance Center trainees.
One group of wrestlers, The Vanity Project, has stood out from the rest. Their athletic abilities and popularity with the crowd have helped them become fan favorites. If they can continue their momentum, it’ll only be a matter of time until they start making waves on NXT.
WWE EVOLVE premieres March 5 on @Tubi in the US and @YouTube internationally! pic.twitter.com/HnIiDjafUH
— WWE (@WWE) February 18, 2025
The Vanity Project is Young and Talented
When you look at this group of young wrestlers, you see a heel group with go-away heat. However, when you dive deeper, you’ll see that these five are a very talented group.
Bryce Donovan picked up a pinfall victory over Timothy Thatcher, whose body of work speaks for itself. Jackson Drake has had multiple matches in both AEW and NWA.
Zayda Steel has been a standout for Beyond Wrestling, GCW, and MLW. Finally, the team known as Swipe Right has taken WWE by storm over the past couple of weeks. Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes are the current Wrestling Open Tag Team Champions for Beyond Wrestling, having held the titles since November.
Baylor and Smokes also had a great match against Fraxiom last month on NXT. The Vanity Project may be young, but they are extremely talented and can go against anyone in the ring.
They Are Popular with the WWE Crowd
A great way to gauge a wrestler’s popularity is to pay attention to the crowd. It doesn’t matter if they are a face or a heel, a reaction means someone cares enough to cheer or boo you. With The Vanity Project, it’s clear what the feelings about them are.
Zayda Steel had lots of hype coming from her work on the indies. People were obviously going to cheer for her. However, that hasn’t happened yet for Swipe Right.
The crowd yelling “SWIPE LEFT!” whenever they try to speak is the perfect reaction for a heel tag team. Pairing them with Bryce Donovan and Jackson Drake has made them fan favorites. Their promo abilities have helped them as well, as they are very charismatic whenever they talk.
The Vanity Project has generated tons of crowd reactions, which is a great indicator that things are looking up for them.
Has WWE Found Their Next Great Faction?
WWE has had lots of success in terms of creating factions. The New Day, The Shield, and The Wyatt Family are just three examples of factions that have created Superstars. They have won multiple championships while allowing the members to go on to have singles glory as well.
However, some pairings have ended with breakups, or they just didn’t work out. It’s only been two months, but from what we’ve seen so far, it seems like The Vanity Project is destined for stardom.
The five members are all highly credentialed on the independent scene. They are great at promo work, playing their characters effortlessly. The crowd reaction has been off the charts as well, with their popularity rising every time they appear.
If The Vanity Project continues trending upward, it’s only a matter of time until the group gets championship gold and more NXT opportunities.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on the WWE Evolve, The Vanity Project, and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
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