

WWE has announced the official signing of two new female athletes, Kacy Catanzaro and Shadia Bseiso. Though both women come from drastically different backgrounds, they’ve stood out in their fields for their commitment to balancing the scales of gender equality in sports.

You may remember Catanzaro from her incredible performance on American Ninja Warrior when she became the first woman to qualify for the intimidating obstacle behemoth that is Mt. Midoriyama. During her Performance Center tryout back in January, the former Division I gymnast reflected on what that meant to both her, as well as the female competitors who followed her lead:



Bseiso, the second signee, brings with her an incredible background in television, being one of the leading voice over artists and broadcasters in the Middle East. Bseisos studied at the BBC Academy and the New York Film Academy, and over the last ten years has become one of the most TV presenters in her field.

Oh, and she also loves to armbar people for funsies.

She has a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and won silver and bronze medals at the Abu Dhabi World Pro Championships a few years back. The driving force behind Bseisos competitive spirit lies in her desire to become the first female WWE Superstar from the Middle East. As she said in an interview during tryouts, “This will also show the women from this region that nothing is impossible and if you set your mind on achieving something, you can overcome absolutely any obstacle.”

Congratulations to both women on already achieving their goals. We can’t wait to see what they bring to WWE in the future.

h/t Squared Circles Sirens