Cody Rhodes congratulates student on WWE ID announcement

WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is the present and face of the franchise. And while it's no secret that the American Nightmare has been hard at work with the future of the business with the Nightmare Factory, one of his students has officially been brought into the ID program.

WWE has been focused on current and former athletes in recent years and started its own NIL program (Next In Line) in 2021, looking to bring NCAA athletes into the fold. In 2024, the promotion launched its ID program, which would work together with several vetted promotions to mold independent wrestlers into the stars of tomorrow. Booker T's Reality of Wrestling, Seth Rollins' Black and Brave Academy, and Cody Rhodes' Nightmare Factory were among the original lineup, as well as Rikishi's KnokX Pro, which the promotion cut ties with following the horrific Raja Jackson incident months ago.

Now, one of the champions' own has made their way to WWE. Cody Rhodes took to Instagram to congratulate one of his Nightmare Factory students, Mike Cunningham, who recently received an ID offer. This was a first for Rhodes' school, which he took great pride in.

"Incredibly cool when they come back! @m1kecunningham is our very first student from the @nightmarefactoryga to be offered a @wwe ID deal. He’s been putting in the work with @realbillygunn and it shows - just a great person and I’m insanely proud of him. Follow him at @m1kecunningham," said Rhodes.

Cunningham was officially crowned the Nightmare Factory Champion back in June, a moment that aired on YouTube. The company announced two other names alongside Cunningham last Thursday.

WWE revealed Mike Cunningham with two other names on the latest Evolve

Cunningham is the Nightmare Factory's latest breakout star, who was introduced to the fans on Evolve alongside two other students on the program's latest episode.

First up was Jha'Quan McNair, coming from the Team Fearless Academy in Matthews, North Carolina. Team Fearless is led by former WCW star Lodi, who fans would best know from Raven's Flock around the peak of the promotion.

The third star, Eli Knight, comes out of Booker T's Reality of Wrestling. Knight also thanked Ace Steel, the head coach of The Foundation of Pro Wrestling in Winter Park, Florida, in his debut speech on Evolve.