A new layer of context is emerging following WWE’s recent signing of Zoe Hines.
As reported, Hines, the niece of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was officially announced as part of WWE’s latest 2026 “rookie class” on Wednesday.
The former Boston College softball player previously participated in WWE tryouts during SummerSlam week last year.
However, discussion about her potential signing dates back several months.
In the October edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted that WWE could feel outside pressure when it came to bringing Hines into the company.
“There is the feeling that they may feel pressure to do something with her if she wants to go into this,” he wrote. “Perhaps it’s unfounded but we’ve heard it from multiple places.”
Now that the signing is official, Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez revisited the situation with additional details on Wrestling Observer Radio at F4WOnline.com.
“I certainly heard a lot about Zoe Hines, I’d say six months ago, and it was very much like this is one that was politically forced on them,” Meltzer stated. “I mean, she’s a real athlete, she’s a softball player. When she had her tryout, it’s not like she knocked them dead or even knocked them even.”
That wasn’t all.
“It was very much said that it was a forced hiring because of who she was and because of Robert F. Kennedy and Linda McMahon both being in the cabinet,” he said. “And it was just, she wanted to try. It was like Simone Johnson, the same thing.”
Meltzer continued, “I had heard people very much dreading this. As far as the hiring of her, I would say it was probably known easily a year ago that it was inevitable that this would happen.”
Zoe Hines was announced as part of the “2026 WWE Rookie Class” in a post shared by WWE via social media on Wednesday.
Meet the NEWEST Rookie Class! 👏👏👏
Alyssa Daniele
Garrett Beck
Nicholas Panicali
Zoe Hines#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/Doa8clgDNM— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) April 29, 2026
