Before Kacy Catanzaro was a staple of Tuesday nights on WWE NXT, she became famous for her appearances on American Ninja Warrior. The show’s executive producer Anthony Storm credits Catanzaro for kicking off the show’s incredible growth, which has only continued since her appearances.
“Initially, the growth came from the success of the women in Season 6. Kacy Catanzaro had two remarkable runs hitting the buzzer for the first time and then completing the final course,” Storm told ComingSoon. “They both went viral and I think that was a big part of the initial growth. And I think that the growth subsequent growth is season by season and year by year growth. It’s just a result of the show continuing to tell these incredible stories, the athletes continuing to reach remarkable heights and we’re constantly refreshing the obstacles in the course. Some of the rules and challenges that we put in front of them, and we get a new influx of athletes from all walks of life. I just think that it’s just got such broad appeal. It appeals to people of all ages, genders, all sorts of very diverse audiences and I think that a new audience is finding it year after year. So I think it’s still got room to grow.”
RELATED: American Ninja Warrior EP Anthony Storm Discusses Season 13 Changes
When asked about Catanzaro’s new career as a WWE NXT Superstar, Storm complimented her and discussed how American Ninja Warrior can be a launching pad.
“It’s amazing. You know, I think you can look at Kacy. You can look at Jessie Graff, who’s become one of the top stuntwomen in Hollywood. Meagan Martin is now going to be broadcasting the rock climbing event from the Olympics for NBC. So many of our athletes have used their exposure on Ninja as a springboard to really fantastic careers. They keep coming back and competing too, which is what we love because we love seeing them and getting to see them challenge themselves in our sport too. We love it. We love seeing them excel in all walks of life.”
New episodes of American Ninja Warrior air Mondays on NBC at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.
