WWE NIL Signee Has Sexual Assault Charges Dropped

A high-profile signing part of WWE’s NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) program no longer has to deal with a legal battle that has been going on since last summer.

22-year-old AJ Ferrari was accused and charged with felony sexual battery in July 2022 following an incident in which his accuser alleged that he performed unwanted sexual acts on her.

These accusations led to a fifteen-month investigation, Ferrari being dropped from the University of Oklahoma’s wrestling team, and an impending court case.

However, PWInsider has reported that Ferrari’s accuser has decided to drop the charges, citing a decision to focus on her health and career instead of pursuing the case any further.

“She has made the very difficult decision after consultation with her family that her further involvement is much less important than her health, a career that she loves and the ugliness and hatred that she encounters and suffers each time this matter progresses into the next step.”

It isn’t known if this decision will impact Ferrari’s standing with WWE.

Who else is part of WWE’s NIL program?

The NIL program was created by WWE in response to new NCAA policy changes that allow collegiate performers to control and monetize their names, images, and likenesses.

As of this writing, 45 men and women are signed to the company as part of the program. They come from a variety of different sports backgrounds, ranging from amateur wrestling to soccer, to football, to basketball and other disciplines.

Perhaps the most famous person to come from this path is Gable Steveson, who had his first official match as a WWE superstar at NXT: The Great American Bash.