Leon Ruff, Brandi Lauren, Joe Gacy headline new WWE Performance Center class

WWE announced the newest class of Performance Center recruits.

Photo Credit: WWE

WWE has announced the newest class of Performance Center recruits and the class is EVOLVE-heavy. Seven of the eight talents in the class were regular fixtures in EVOLVE before the promotion was sold to WWE. Brandi Lauren, Curt Stallion, Leon Ruff, Anthony Greene, Joe Gacy, Josh Briggs, Jacob Kasper and referee Jake Clemons are now a part of WWE.

WWE.com has short bios up for each of the recruits:

Anthony Greene is a flamboyant Massachusetts native and standout grappler from EVOLVE Wrestling. The 26-year-old stood toe-to-toe with NXT Tag Team Champion Tyler Breeze in EVOLVE, as well as many of his fellow recruits from this class.

Dartanyon Ruffin, better known as Leon Ruff, is a former EVOLVE Tag Team Champion. The energetic 24-year-old has competed on Raw, SmackDown, NXT and 205 Live in recent months, going up against the likes of Sheamus, Aleister Black, Tommaso Ciampa and Legado del Fantasma.

Joseph Ruby is a 6-foot, 249-pound powerhouse from New Jersey. Competing as Joe Gacy, he’s a former three-time Combat Zone Wrestling Heavyweight Champion and EVOLVE Tag Team Champion.

Joshua Bruns is an imposing figure, standing 6-foot-8 and weighing 268 pounds. As Josh Briggs, he’s been the EVOLVE Champion and battled the likes of NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER, Matt Riddle, John Morrison and Raw Tag Team Champion Angelo Dawkins.

Jacob Kasper is a 25-year-old amateur wrestling standout from Lexington, Ohio. Kasper wrestled at Duke University, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American and won the 2018 ACC heavyweight championship. He also placed in the 2016 Olympic trials.

Jake Clemons of Ohio is a referee who has officiated matches on Monday Night Raw, as well as for promotions like EVOLVE and AIW.

In late August, it was reported by PWInsider that WWE signed Leon Ruff, Josh Briggs, Anthony Greene, Joe Gacy, Brandi Lauren, Curt Stallion and referee Jake Clemons.

About Andrew Thompson 8005 Articles
A Washington D.C. native and graduate of Norfolk State University, Andrew Thompson has been covering wrestling since 2017.