WWE Performance Center
The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American organization, WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings, a subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The system currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE wrestlers, as well as sports science and medical facilities. The first branch, located in Orlando, Florida, was opened on July 11, 2013. The second branch opened on January 11, 2019, in Enfield, London.
| Predecessor | Florida Championship Wrestling |
|---|---|
| Founded | July 11, 2013 |
| Headquarters | United States: 5055 Forsyth Commerce Road, Suite 100, Orlando, Florida, United States United Kingdom: Unit 30/31, Great Cambridge Industrial Estate, Lincoln Road, Enfield, London, England |
Key people | Paul "Triple H" Levesque (EVP of Talent Relations, Head of Creative and Chief Content Officer) Shawn Michaels (VP of Talent Development Creative) Matt Bloom (VP of Talent Development, Head Coach) Sara Amato (Assistant Head Coach) Robbie Brookside, Steve Corino, Lince Dorado, Fit Finlay, Johnny Moss, Norman Smiley, Terry Taylor (Coach) |
| Owner | Endeavor |
| Parent | WWE (TKO Group Holdings) |
| Website | recruit.wwe.com |
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the main studio of the Performance Center in Orlando became WWE's home arena, with the company moving its weekly television programs and all pay-per-views for Raw and SmackDown (including WrestleMania 36) behind closed doors at the facility from March 2020 onward. In August 2020, WWE moved Raw and SmackDown's closed productions to an arena setting as the WWE ThunderDome—which used a larger-scale production more in line with its touring shows but with a virtual audience.
NXT and 205 Live subsequently moved to the Performance Center in October 2020, with NXT moving from its former home at Full Sail University, and its main arena being reconfigured as the "Capitol Wrestling Center" (CWC) to suit the look and feel of NXT programming. Unlike Raw and SmackDown's tenure at the Performance Center, NXT's move was permanent, and most of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in June 2021. The CWC naming was dropped in September 2021 as part of a larger relaunch of NXT, which saw a second reconfiguration of the arena.