Backstage politics have long been a staple of professional wrestling, but it is rare for actual political figures to become involved. According to a report from Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio podcast, WWE may have been politically pressured into signing Zoe Hines, the niece of U.S. Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr.
Hines is the daughter of Laurent Boye and Rebecca Hines, who is the sister of RFK Jr.'s wife, actress Cheryl Hines. During the subscriber-only podcast episode on Thursday, the hosts discussed recent WWE signings and mentioned Hines, a former NCAA softball player who recently transitioned to professional wrestling.
"I certainly heard a lot about Zoe Hines about six months ago, and it was very much this is one that was politically forced on them. It's not like when she had her tryout. She's a real athlete, she's a softball player," they said. "When she had her tryout, it's not like she knocked them dead or even knocked them even. It was very much said it was a forced hiring because of who she was and because of Robert F. Kennedy and Linda McMahon both being in the cabinet. And you know, she wanted to try."
Linda McMahon, the wife of former WWE head Vince McMahon, has served in the Trump administration. Vince McMahon resigned from WWE in January 2024 amid a sexual abuse and trafficking lawsuit and previous misconduct allegations.
Is nepotism at play?
The hosts compared Hines' signing to that of Simone Johnson, the daughter of WWE legend Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. "It's like Simone Johnson, the same thing. She was not a good wrestler, they eventually used her as Ava and everything like that and used her in a different role," they said.
The hosts reported that some inside WWE knew the signing was "inevitable" and that it was being forced behind the scenes. "I had heard people very much dreading knowing this," they continued. "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. And six months ago, it was already known from the tryout that it was one of those where the people who knew and seen had told me it was a hire they were dreading because it was a forced one."
According to Cagematch, an internet wrestling match database, Hines has yet to make her in-ring debut. The controversy highlights ongoing debates about nepotism in the wrestling industry, especially when political connections are involved.
