Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Raquel Rodriguez On Liv Morgan, WWE Tag Team Champs, Judgement Day

Episode Date: April 1, 2025

https://cvvtix.com - Get your tickets for INSIGHT LIVE in NYC & Las Vegas with VIP Meet & Greet!Raquel Rodriguez (@RaquelWWE) is a professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and one-half of the Women's Tag Team Champions with Liv Morgan. She sits down with Chris Van Vliet in Toronto, Ontario to discuss becoming a champion once again, how she was paired up with Liv Morgan, comparisons to Shawn Michaels and Diesel, taking time away to battle illness, why her finisher got renamed, her viral Walmart announcement, working with Ronda Rousey and more! Quote I'm thinking about: “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” - Winston Churchill Please support our sponsors! PURE PLANK: The future of core fitness! Use the code CVV to save 10% on Pure Plank designed by Adam Copeland & Christian: https://gopureplank.com/?ref=tibcloux SEAT GEEK: Use my code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/CVV10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount TIMELINE: Go to https://timeline.com/insight to get 10% off your order of Mitopure! STASH: Go to https://get.stash.com/INSIGHT to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures MAGIC SPOON: Get $5 off your next order at https://magicspoon.com/cvv VUORI: Get 20% off your first purchase! Get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet at https://vuori.com/cvv FABRIC: Join the thousands of parents who trust Fabric to help protect their family. Apply today in just minutes at https://meetfabric.com/CVV ROCKET MONEY: Join Rocket Money today and experience financial freedom: https://rocketmoney.com/cvv HUEL: Get 15% off plus a FREE Gift for NEW customers with the code INSIGHT at https://huel.com MIRACLE MADE: Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://trymiracle.com/CVV and use the code CVV to claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF ZOCDOC: Instantly book a top-rated doctor today at https://zocdoc.com/insight BONCHARGE: Use the code CVV to save 15% off your infrared sauna blanket at https://boncharge.com/cvv BLUECHEW: Get your first month of BlueChew for FREE at https://bluechew.com PLUNGE: Get $150 off your Plunge with the coupon code CVV150 at https://plunge.com For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to: https://podcast.chrisvanvliet.com If you have ever enjoyed any of these episodes, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast or Spotify? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests. Follow CVV on social media:Instagram: https://instagram.com/ChrisVanVlietTwitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisVanVlietFacebook: https://facebook.com/ChrisVanVlietYouTube: https://youtube.com/ChrisVanVlietTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Van Flees. Oh my goodness. Welcome back to another one here on Insight. I'm CVV, Chris Van Fleet. Thank you for tuning into this episode. And thank you for making Insight the number one wrestling podcast on the planet. Still doesn't feel real when I say that.

It's crazy. I appreciate you so much. Hit a big boot on that follow button on Spotify or Apple Podcast. then follow it up with a moonsault on that rating on Spotify. I know you've heard me mention the ratings a lot lately, but they seriously help the show grow more than anything else in Spotify. And it takes like three seconds to do it.

So if you're listening on Spotify, if you could, and I know you can, would you please leave a rating on Spotify to help the show grow? What a story Raquel Rodriguez has. And so amazing to have her on the show for the first time. Last month, Raquel and Liv Morgan made history when they became the first ever three-time WWE women's tag team champions by beating Bianca Bel Air and Naomi. They've been so much fun to watch as a team. I know there's a lot of comparisons to that, like to Sean Michaels and Diesel and how they

worked as a tag team, but instead a big daddy cool, we get big mommy cool. We talk about that. We talk about the inspiration of her father and how she's a second-generation wrestler. And yeah, she's been dominating as a tag team wrestler, but what does the future look like for her as a single star? She also opens up about the autoimmune disorder, mass cell activation syndrome that kept her out of action for seven months last year. And the battle that she's had with that is amazing. And I know it's going to help out so many people by hearing her story. Snap a screenshot.

Let us know you're listening. Tag us online so we can share it out. She's at Raquel WWE. I'm at Chris Van Fleet, and let's dive into this. Please welcome Raquel Rodriguez. Oh, we're finally making this happen. We are. It's about time.

It's about time. What's you been waiting for? I guess I've been waiting for you to get one of these back. I've only been here since September, okay? Like, I get it. You've wanted me here with gold. It's fine. You wanted the tag team specialist.

That's what you are. You are a tag team specialist. I think so, yeah. I really feel that for myself. Four time. WWWW women's tag team champion. Three time with Liv, that's the first. That's right.

It's record after record after. Greatest female tag team ever? Well, not just me, but greatest. Well, yeah, me and Liv. Greatest female tag team ever. You're saying it. Yeah. Okay.

The greatest. I mean, you can't deny it. We're the first three time. Look at us work like a team. I mean, the past two matches we've had, tag matches with Dakota and EO. Bangor. The one we just had the other day

when we won these bad boys back, banger. We can't help it. So it's six-time champion overall, right? Yeah, yeah, I won the title twice with Dakota and NXT as well, the tags. Amazing. And we were the first ever for that as well, the first ever women's dusty cup winners. Oh, what a time!

I'm like remembering now as we keep going through it. I love how you use live as a weapon. What is going on here? I mean, she likes it too. You know, it's consensual. I asked her before I threw her. How do you come up with those style of moves where it's like, I'm going to use you? as a, you know, a propulsion in one of these?

I think for me it was always like, I look at tags, right? And obviously we watch film. We watched all these past tag teams that work together really well. And I see them and I'm like, oh, they do these amazing moves that are like tag moves. But most of the time, if they're the same size, they're both jumping or they're both like throwing cross bodies from the top or doing really cool things. And I'm like, that's just not me. I'm a grounded wrestler.

I like to keep these feet on the ground, you know? So that's why I was like, we have to have something where. I can lift you and throw you at them or use you on top. It always has to be, not always, but for most part, our tag team moves are pretty much my strong style with her crazy high flying sometimes, you know, just hard hitting style. And so I feel like with those two together, it just made sense that I would use her as a weapon. You get asked every single day, how tall are you? You know, it's funny, not every single day, but pretty frequently, yeah, you know,

mostly when I'm just around strangers, they're always like, oh, you're taller in person. And I was telling, I lived this morning because I was just thinking about like the match and the matches we've had in the past. I was like, you know, sometimes I feel like that alien from men in black, the little aliens, you know? Not because they were little, but because if like they were in their own worlds and you just see how long and like lanky they are and the way they bends when they like take stuff or move. And I see myself when I wrestle and I'm like, oh my God, I look like that alien just like so long and folding in half sometimes. What a reference. I know, I know. But I was like, I just, I can see it.

And I feel it sometimes. I feel like that alien, which I don't think it's bad. I like those aliens. I just feel like when you're at a certain height and you just meet people out and about and maybe they don't know what you do. They're just like, oh, wow. Yeah, I definitely feel like I intimidate a lot of people. So I think part of the time, too, if I'm not like smiling and like giving you like,

hey, it's okay to approach me. I think people look at me and they're like, we'll leave her alone. Maybe you're intimidating, but as soon as you smile, it's over. I know, I know. And I feel like, you know, I try not to, for the most part, because I'm like, I want to be intimidating. I really want to make people like question like, hmm, can I approach her? But it's just hard. I'm always having a good time, especially now that I'm a champ again. Like, I just love life. I can't, I can't not smile, you know? What's funny is you're saying, I want to be intimidating.

Well, you have a big smile on your face. I know. That could be intimidating, you know. Ooh, that's a good point. What does the smile mean? What does it? Am I happy? Am I nice? Am I drawing you in to trick you? I'm about to hurt you? I'm about to hurt you. Find out. We'll see. Stay tuned. Was wrestling always the path for you? I think it was for sure. So, like, it's funny. I talk about this pretty frequently, but my dad was actually out wrestling the night I was born.

He was at the hospital with my mom. But then the doctors told him, oh, she's going to be a minute. So, like, if you have to go work because he had a booking already. And his tag partner was with him. And he's like, dude, we have time. You know, like, let's go. So my mom was like, it's okay. They left.

And I think the second he left, I was born. Did he think he'd be able to leave, get in the match? And then come back and have time? Yeah, for sure. He came back after the match. And, like, it was 1991. It was the year I was born. And so, like, I don't think cell phones were super huge for my parents then.

And they're not, like, texting or calling each other, you know? That was the big Zach Morris phone back then. That was the big Zach Morris phone. So I'm like, you know, I understand that, like, he came back and he was like, she's here. But where is she? And it's funny. Everyone in my family, like, my mom, my dad and my sister were all born kind of small and, like, bald. And I came out with, like, a full head of black hair, really, really,

tan and like big. I was like 10 pounds when I was born. Whoa. And so at first my mom thought I was going to, they thought I was going to be a boy. And she's like, that's a girl. No, I didn't have, that's not my baby. And then my dad, when he came back, him and his partner went to go look at me in the little viewing area. And they were like, he was like, well, which one is it? And she was like, this is her. The giant one over there. Yeah. Giant one over there. And his partner at the time, he tells me too, he has like a very southern accent. He's like, oh, that's a huge baby. And I'm like, see, I think I was just born to like, you know, be with my dad and a tag team partner because that's what I love doing when we were younger and we used to go on these road trips. I loved staying at the arena, watching my dad work, watching him do the business and being a part of it.

My sister and my mom would want to, like, go explore the town or go to the corpus mall or whatever. And I'm like, you know, I don't really want to shop. I want to be here and I want to hang out. I want to see what's going on. So I always wanted to do it, for sure. For people who don't know, who was your dad as a wrestler. Yeah, his name was Rick Desperado Gonzalez. He went by Speedy Gonzalez for a little bit.

He mostly worked the territories down in like South Texas, Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana. He came up to Ohio a little bit. But yeah, that's what that's his main area. It was like the NWA era. Did he ever have an opportunity to work in WWE or WCW or that break? Not with WCW and not with WWE, but he did work with Sean Michaels when he opened up his school TWA in San Antonio, Texas. And then he did do a few things with like a lot of WW superstars.

So I've seen videos of him. because he went under a mask pretty frequently, and he would work as, like, a luchador to be, like, an extra or, like, help, I don't know why his name is, Booker T and his brother when they were starting out. So him and his tag buddy actually helped them when they were starting out as well and, like, giving them their first matches and all of that stuff. The Godfather, I remember seeing him at a few shows, too, when I was younger, and so I thought that was so cool.

A lot of people, yeah. And now you're doing it. And now I'm doing it, yeah. At the highest level. I know, I know. He's pretty proud. You know, it was funny because at first he was like, you want to be a wrestler? And at the time, it was totally different for women, you know, back then.

He was like, no, no daughter or mine. You're not doing bikini matches. You're not doing mud wrestling. No, I don't think so. And so he was like, you're going to go to college. You're going to get a degree. And then we'll talk about it. And I was like, okay, deal. So I focused on basketball because I was tall. And obviously, it just kind of came naturally to me. Are you forced into basketball when you're tall? It wasn't forced. My dad was like volunteer coaching. And I'm a daddy's girl. So I was like, ooh, I could do that. I could play this, you know. He was volunteer coaching a boys team and I was like, I want to play. So he took me to the Boys and Girls Club, and I joined a team in Riyondo, Rio Hondo, Texas. And I was just a natural. And again, the height really helps.

I was towering over these kids that were my age. I mean, there was times I would go to school. Like, I transferred schools in the fourth grade. And I walk into my fourth grade class and everyone's just like, you know, sixth graders go over there. I'm like, no, I'm a fourth grader. I go here. Except me. You have no choice.

So basketball was just, it was like a natural leeway for me to try and get into college. Yeah, you must have been great at rebounding. I really was. Actually, I hold the record for rebounding. I hold a record for points, double digits in both when I was in high school. We were the first Rio Grande Valley team, female team to make it to the final foreign state. So we got pretty far. So was there a career possibility with basketball for you?

I think if I really, really kept focusing towards the end of my college career, I think like as I got close to, And college basketball was so much fun too, but it was totally different. I played two years at Texas A&M Kingsville. And then I transferred to Sam Houston State and played two years there. I made amazing friends. I love the girls. But it was just such a different atmosphere compared to high school basketball. And so I think towards the end of it, when I was getting towards my last two years,

I was already kind of checking out and looking back into wrestling because I was like, I'm this close. I'm this close to graduating. And the second I graduate, I cannot wait to tell my dad, oh, it's time. That's the agreement we had. I did. I did. We were celebrating because I was the first of my family to graduate.

And so I'm like, yay, I got a diploma. Dad, I want to wrestle. Wow. And he's like, well, okay, I guess things are changing, but you have two years. He's like, I'm going to give you two years to try and make it into the WWE. And if you don't, then you just got to stop. He's like, I don't want you doing this for your whole life. Would that be two years from starting training?

Yeah. So not even two years from your debut. No, no, two years from starting training. Wow. My dad was so, like, he was very protective because he knows how the business was and he knows, he has, he knows everyone in Texas in the wrestling business. And so he was very particular about who I was training with, where I was taking my first bumps, what rings I was getting in with, with what people. And most of the time, he needed to be there too because he just wanted to make sure that I was getting the right kind of training and the right taking care of, which I really appreciate. My dad really went out of, you know, everything he had going on at home to, like, really help me and take care of me through that.

Two years is not a lot of time. It's not a lot of time to get signed anywhere, let alone get signed with WWA. Yeah, and Instagram was just starting out at this point, too. You know, it was like starting to get its rise. So, like, social media wasn't a huge thing. And I think WWE was looking at people in social media, but not really. They were going to fitness competitions and looking for athletes. And I was already done with basketball.

So I was like, what do I need to do to get seen? What do I have to do to, like, put myself out there? And tough enough was starting back up that year. So I was like, okay, you know, I did broadcast journalism. I could edit a video and I made a little video and I submitted it for tough enough. I did it make it to the finals. But I think that helped a little bit in getting me seen just like a hint. And when I got the news that I wasn't making it to the finals, I was like, well, what else can I do?

And I just tried to stay, you know, in the know. I was like, where are they going to be at? Where could I go to get seen by someone? And the tryouts came out at the Arnold Classic in Ohio. And I was like, you know what? I had a good job after college that was really keeping me by and helping letting me train and do all these things. So it was really, really, I was in a good position. What were you doing?

I was working in student housing. Why is this funny? I don't know. I just think it's so funny. So I started working in student housing while I was still playing basketball to help pay for my apartment with my sister. And it was a part-time job. And so it was fun because we like plan the events at the apartments. And it's mostly college students because you're in a college town.

Yeah. But as I kept doing it after college, I was like, ooh, I can't do this forever. I cannot be around college students. this much or parents that much either. But it was fun. It was a really good position for me. But it showed me that an office job is not what I was meant to do. So you found the tryout.

You went to the tryout. Yeah, bought plane tickets for me and my dad. And we went to the tryout. And I showed up and I was in athletic wear. And I just walked straight up to the recruiter who was sitting at the WWE desk. And I said, hey, I'm here for the tryout. I'm ready to go. I've taken a couple bumps and rolls.

I feel like super confident about this. Like I was like, I'm, I just want to be a part of this trial. What do I need to do? And he like got up from the table and he looked at my feet. And then he looked up at me and he goes, well, we kind of already have everybody for our tryout that we're doing here at the Arnold for the exhibition. So he gave me his card. And he's like, send me some pictures and send me like your stats and what you've done and stuff like that. So I did.

And then literally within like a couple of weeks later, they replied and they were like, hey, we'd like to invite you to a tryout in Orlando at the Performance Center. And that was like in three months. So I was like, yes. That was my evil laugh. They noticed me. And so I went to the tryout and I was like in shock. I really was. I was expecting a lot more.

I think I don't even know what I was expecting. I think I was expecting wrestlers. I was expecting, you know, more people who had knowledge about wrestling. But it was all football athletes coming from the NFL, coming from college or fitness models, bikini models. Yeah, just really beautiful women. and also coming from like different sports backgrounds. But I was like, okay, so they're looking for like, I see what they're looking for here. And so I stuck out for sure.

I was like this tall basketball frame girl that was just like super energetic and super passionate about it. And I was like, I'm going to go out there and I'm going to show them. And I'm going to scream every time they ask me something. And I'm just going to yell my name so they know who I am. I'm going to speak Spanish so they know that I have that in my back pocket. And I'm just going to do everything I need to do. I'm going to throw it all out there. You were determined.

I was so determined. Oh my gosh. I know there was one part. And maybe Coach Bloom will admit to it if he remembers. But in my tryout, he asked us a question after he had already said the answer. And he was like, what makes a good role? And me thinking, everybody knows this answer. I was like, a quiet role!

I was the only one who yelled. And I looked around. He goes, that's right. And I was like, okay, I think that really solidified for me that they saw something in me. Had you had any matches up to that point? I had like two. I had two. I had one with a.

man, a gentleman that my dad really trusted to kind of get me through my first one on the Indies. And then I actually, maybe I had like two other ones with some females. Yeah, but they were very brief and it was really quick. I was within like a couple of months of taking my first bump and rolling that my dad was like, let's just try and see you out there a little bit and see what happens. That's amazing. Yeah. Some people tell stories of like it's 10 years of grinding or 15 years of grinding. Yeah. You were right place, right time and right person. Yeah. Well, I mean, I pushed myself to get to the right place and right time. And yeah, I mean, I was very, very blessed, very lucky because, again, I had my dad there with me, you know, guiding me and protecting me and making sure that whatever it is I was doing in the wrestling industry, he was also a part of it because he gave me that knowledge of like how to act, how to be respectful, how to treat other wrestlers, how to put matches together, talking about like the psychology of it.

I'm very, very lucky that I still have my dad and I can call him and be like, what do you think? Oh, what should we change? Or, you know, what can we add here? And sometimes me and him, we sit down and we just watch some old school wrestling and we'll talk about like things I can do and things I can bring back. And it just really helps me keep my tool sharpened, I think. What was the first time you got to wrestle in front of your dad? It was that match with the man that I wrestled. Okay.

What was the first WWE match? Oh, well, with him there in person, I feel like it was a live event in Texas. It was definitely a live event in Texas. We were doing a little road loop and they allowed me to be a part of that road. loop that we were doing. So we hit Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas. And my parents came to San Antonio and that was the first match. I think it was me versus, uh, Dakota, actually. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, honestly, that might have been the match too that my dad realized Dakota is his favorite wrestler. Not you? Not me. No, he tells me all the time when we were tagging together. He's like,

man, that girl can take a hit. And he always told me, he's like, I love her. He's like, I love the way she moves in the ring and all the things that she does. She's just so good. So he always, he always, always, he loves watching Dakota. Have you been this determined about everything in your life? I think so. Yeah, like even basketball, like when I finally realized like, oh, you know, the Boys and Girls Club is fun and I had my first few games and I realized I was pretty good at it. I set my mind to doing nothing but basketball.

And even then my dad was also, he was like, whatever you want to do, I'll support you and help you. And so in the Valley, women don't have a lot of opportunities when it comes to like sports so much. You know, we have volleyball, we have basketball, we have soccer, softball, but we don't have like wrestling and we don't have like swimming in our smaller schools. And I was going to a very small school. So like when I did start playing basketball and people were starting to notice me, I started to get opportunities to play in like AAU leagues and do year round and play with

the older girls and play with younger girls. And I was playing probably like six games on a weekend sometimes just from doing multiple teams with my AAU league because they would, again, they would put me with the older girls, my age group and the younger girls. So I would just be like, I got a game over here. And then I got to run to run to. this other gym and I got a game over here. And I just wanted to get as many reps in as I could because the eyes that you get in the valley are very, very hard for like college scholarships. You know, you have to get out of the valley to get seen. And so the valley, I'm explaining to you, is the border of Texas and Mexico. And that's the Rio Grande Valley where the Rio Grande

River is. You still have to drive two hours to get to your first border patrol area, which is this is all King Ranch. And King Ranch is like, I don't even know how many acres. It's huge. It takes up probably all of South Texas. But it's, if I had to put it into, it's like a six-hour drive to Houston, which is the first big city, a five-hour drive to San Antonio, which is a pretty big city as well, and like an eight-hour drive to Dallas. So we would have to make those drives on the weekends, either for my dad's wrestling or for my basketball so that I could get seen by college scouts. Wow. Prize picks is the best place to get real money sports action. With over 10 million members and billions of dollars in awarded winnings, prize picks has made daily fantasy sports accessible to all.

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3-3. So you mentioned earlier, you're the tag team specialist. How do you feel about these comparisons that you and Liv get to Diesel and Sean Michaels? I love it. I love it. I absolutely I totally love it. I feel like Dakota and I had those comparisons in NXT, too, when we were tagging. And so I was calling myself Big Mommy Cool for a while because I love it. You should bring it back. Yeah, well, I don't know if you're Ripley's going to like that. Maybe you come, maybe it's big mommy, M-O-M-M-M-Y. Maybe, yeah, mommy, right? And you really enunciate it. Yeah, for sure. I should, right? Mommy, guys. It's not a mommy.

That's going to be kind of hard because it just comes natural sometimes. Mommy. Yeah. But you're the big powerhouse. and she's smaller and, I guess, more agile. But it's like, I think it's pretty badass. Those are two Hall of Famers. Yeah, yeah. No, it's really, really cool. And, like, what a comparison to be compared to Diesel.

He was just known for his swag and his attitude and his confidence. And so, like, I tried to bring that. You know, I really, especially from coming back from my illness, I was like, I want to come back and I just want to, like, exude confidence. I want to exude machismo to quote a little bit of WWE. with Razor Ramon. But my chie's ma, that's not a real word. It is now.

It is now. So, yeah, I mean, I just, I love that. I love that comparison. What was the disease you had? What were you handling? So I never really got like a full diagnosis, to be honest with you. Like they said it was mass cell activation syndrome, but I got tested. That didn't come out positive.

And mass cell activation syndrome for people don't know. It just means your body is like having a constant allergic reaction. And to like everything, like things you were never allergic to before. your body is just so confused from maybe stress, maybe trauma. It could be a lot of things. But now you just have like a sensitive nervous system and your body is just reacting to like anything. Like autoimmune? Yeah, like autoimmune.

So I've always had eczema even when I was younger, but it was very small in like areas right here. And so I think it was like 2023. I started seeing a little bit of eczema pop up on my face. And I was like, this is kind of weird. I mean, maybe it could be some of the makeup because when I was little, makeup made me react. And I was like, it's fine, you know, it would come and it would go. It shows up for like a day like today. I think just from having such a long day yesterday and my bag getting lost and like a lack of sleep,

my body's immune system is kind of like lessened. And so after last night's match and like the makeup and stuff like that, I think I had a small reaction, you know, just under my eyes and on my neck, which is random because I don't put makeup here. So it's honestly, it's a puzzle. I'm still trying to figure it out. You still don't know what it is. I still don't know what it is. I still don't know what's triggering me. I think I have a little bit of mass cell, even though I wasn't tested for it.

I think you can still have some sort of it because my body just reacts at random times. So what made you need to take the time off? Well, at the time, that whole year, I was actually like, like these reactions, you know, I can deal with this. I can show up and I can be confident that I don't need to wear makeup today. I have some eyeliner on, some eyelashes, and that's about it, a little lipstick. And I'm like, that's okay. This is my life. And I want to be open about it.

I want people to know who are allergic to makeup that you're beautiful and you don't have to wear it. Sorry. No, it's okay. But at the time a year ago, yeah, I was like swelling up. It was to the point where I was unrecognizable to myself. Like, I was looking in the mirror and I was like, who is she? Who is this person? And I avoided mirrors.

I avoided mirrors. I avoided cameras. I avoided phones. I didn't want to know anything about the outside world because I was just in such a dark place physically. and it was physically taxing, but I know that was taking such a big toll on me mentally. And I told myself, I cannot stay here, that this is right now, but this isn't forever. I have to tell myself that, like, it's going to get better. And I just kept telling myself that.

And I think that really, really helps, like, your mental state when you're in these conditions and you can't control it because it's out of my control. I don't know what's going on with me. Sorry. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm going to grab you a tissue. No, I'm okay. I'm okay. Yeah, but I just, yeah, I just kept telling myself, this isn't,

forever. You're going to get through this. And I mean, I had great, again, my family, I'm so, so blessed, so blessed because I have such a strong family that was there for me. Like, my six-year-old niece is praying for God to take the redness away, you know? She doesn't have to do that, but she does that. She does that for me every night. And I had amazing friends, you know, live constantly checking on me, jet from makeup, always checking on me, like just really, really amazing people that wanted to come visit me. But it was something I had to get through by myself for sure. And that's so difficult because this is the profession that you have. Yeah.

You're saying you can't even look in the mirror and yet you're on TV in front of millions of people. Yeah. And I think that's what really crushed me at first, too, was because this was my dream job. And I worked so hard to get here. And I did everything possible. And I felt like it was getting taken away from me. I was like, no way. I could be a wrestler with like red skin all the time.

And like we watched Elimination Chamber from last year. And as Liv and I are doing the like commentary watching it back and stuff, my entrance happens. And I just started bawling again because I remember being in that moment and being in Australia with my face swollen and having to take a steroid shot and having to like stay in my hotel because I didn't want people to see me that way. And I didn't want my coworkers to see me that way. I just felt weak. You know, I just felt so helpless and so weak. And so it was a really tough rewatch for me to watch Elimination Chamber again last year.

But I know everyone's like, no, you should be so proud. You were so brave going out there like red and with no makeup. But deep down, it was really, really hard for me. But you're such a confident person. From the moment I met you, you just exude confidence. So you own this now. Yeah, yeah. Well, I told myself, I was like, this is your life, you know?

Like, you were meant to have this issue, this illness, this disease, and you were meant to still do what you do. And I think, like, the small reactions like this are a blessing because it tells me that, like, I can still go on tomorrow. I can still be half of the women's tag team champion, the greatest women's tag team. team champions ever. Slide that in. Let me just slide that in so you guys remember. So I just, I try to keep that positive mindset because it really does help. It really does being able to like just take a minute in the mornings or at night and just

realize what I've accomplished for the day and realize how blessed I am and just go on with life. I can't stay stuck in a rut. I want everyone to know that like, I know you may feel stuck for whatever time it is that you're there right now, but it's not forever. When it's such an inspiration to people that are dealing with whatever it is in their own life, whether it's seen or unseen. Yeah, yeah.

And they're able to see, like, look at what Raquel's going through and she's still crushing it. Oh, thanks. Yeah. I really, really hope so because I know that there's, like, so many young people out there that are going through this too. And I know how it affected me when I was younger and tried to wear makeup and I would get reactions on my face. And I just, yeah, I just hope it really shows younger people that, like, you know, you're beautiful the way you are. You don't need to change anything. this is how God made you and just embrace it.

With all of the work you've been doing as a tag team, do you think about what life's going to be like when you start dominating as a singles competitor? Oh, yeah, for sure, for sure. You know, I had a little taste of that when I had my no-holds-barred match with Ria, was that like two, three months ago? And I was like, oh, this is so much fun.

I love just like single competition as well. There's something about it. But I really do enjoy tagging as well. So that, I mean, me and Liv, we have so much fun out there. And even when she has her single matches or I have mine and she's just out there with me, it feels like a team just working together, just having fun, just two girls enjoying life. Well, you also had some of it and NXT too. I did, yes, yes.

And that was honestly, those were some of the best matches too. Like, I loved my match with EO. I loved my match with Taya when she was with us. I'm trying to remember some of the other ones too. But, I mean, yeah, there were so many amazing matches with Mandy as well. Well, we had a lot of fun when she came down to NXT with toxic attraction. That was fun. And, of course, my single matches with Dakota were always a blast, too.

Yeah. How do you get welcomed into the Judgment Day? Well, are you trying to be a part of the Judgment Day? Are you guys hiring? Listen, Finn said no new members, but Dominic is pro-noon members. So maybe you need to get in with Dominic first, get on his side. Bring him some chicken tending? Bring him some chicken tendies.

Maybe, you know, Butterup live a little bit, too, because she's really close. with Dom so maybe she'd be like, yeah, you know, CVV and the JDD. I don't know. Could work, CBV and JD. Sign me up. Hey. I mean, JD's not there right now. Yeah, right now.

There's a spot. And we're in Canada. We could use a pair of extra hands. Okay. I don't think I could do any of the things JD does, but I can stand there. Yeah. Well, yeah, that's okay. Yeah.

Maybe just to distract. And if Natty, you tries to put you in a sharpshooter again. Maybe we'll come help you. Don't worry. How did you get welcomed into the judgment day? Well, you know, I had my connection with Liv, of course. So I had that beautiful connection with Liv. And so when I was getting healthy and coming back, we talked a little bit.

And she was like, I think this is something that would be beneficial for the judgment day, especially just, you know, having her at the forefront with Dominic. And I think it just brought another element to the judgment day. And so it really wasn't hard for me. I think I was just like born in, thanks to live. It genuinely seems like you guys are having so much fun. We are. We really are.

And I can't believe we get to work with Carlito. Like, what an amazing person he is. I mean, I would never tell him that to his face. but so, so amazing. I love him. He's so funny. He's so creative. He's so talented.

I just, I'm in awe. I used to watch him, you know, back in the day, too. And even when I was starting out wrestling in Texas, I went to a show in Galveston with my dad. And he was there. He was a part of it. And I was like, wow. I love Carlito. Carlito's reaction when you joined Judgment Day was so good.

I have that effect sometimes. Drops his apple. I'd be like, oh, sir, leave it. Leave it. You don't need it. It just, it seems like you guys are genuinely like a family. Oh yeah. Yeah, we are. We are. I mean, even getting to know Dom these past couple months, I feel like he's slowly growing into like my little cousin, my little brother, you know.

We have a lot in common, obviously, because of his culture and my culture. So we talk a lot about that. We talk about like him going to Mexico a lot. I love Mexico. When I can visit it, when I am there, I just enjoy it every time I'm there. So beautiful. The people are amazing. It's just such an amazing culture that I love being a part of and representing. What language did you learn to speak first? English for sure. When I was younger, because we lived on the border, I think it was such a big stigma to, like, my parents and to my grandparents that we learned English first and properly because if we wanted to have a good job, then we needed to know English.

And then as I got older, I couldn't help but learn Spanish because my grandpa only spoke Spanish. So it was very, it still is. It's very broken Spanish. But that's the reason that I can speak it so well compared to, like, my sister, who is still very hesitant on hers is because I had full conversations with my grandpa. And when I was in high school, too, I would try and speak Spanish with a lot of the students that were coming from Mexico every day. What does it mean to you to be able to stand in the middle of a WWE ring and cut a

promo in Spanish? Honestly, it means so much. It means so much. And I know my Spanish isn't perfect, but the fact that I can go out there and feel confident about knowing whatever it is I'm saying, although grammatically it might not be perfect, I know that the other person on the screen is understanding what I'm saying. And so to me, that is what's most important is that I want to come across as like, I'm like Becky, Becky G said, I'm a 200%er, 100% American and 100% Mexican, you know, and it might not be 100% perfect all the time, but it's hard being 200% because that's a lot. Like, I'm held to a very high standard here. Well, there's also something about when a heel cuts a promo in another language and the audience doesn't understand what they're saying.

They're kind of going, what are you saying about us? Yeah, they get so mad. And you know what? It's funny. I figured that out too when I was just like, you know, hanging out with friends and like chit chatting and like being at the PC and stuff. And like they would say something and I would reply in something in Spanish. And like, you know, we don't understand what you're saying.

And I get a little mad and I'm like, oh, this really does piss people off. Like when you just act like you don't speak English for no reason. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I used to pretend to do that sometimes in college. I remember we were just walking as a basketball team. And one guy like grabbed my arm and was like, hey, what's that mommy? And I was like, ah, no Ible English. I just kept on.

And it worked. It worked in my mind that came to me so, like, just naturally. And I told my friends, I was like, was that kind of mean? Well, it worked. Let's go. I'm not trying to talk. But on the flip side, though, like you see someone like Penta cut a promo in Spanish. And you're like, I don't personally know what he's saying, but there's passion there.

There's so much passion. And Liv and I talked about this too the other day and how passionate and dramatic the Spanish language is like when you speak Spanish, you're not just saying words like, um, I'm trying to think of something that was funny. Oh, like, so we were watching this show called Palso Amor, right? And it's based in Spain. And he's trying to tell the girl, he's like, oh, well, you know, you're not that innocent. But instead of saying that in Spanish, he's like, oh, well, you're no bed of roses. And it's like, wow. That's beautiful. Beautiful, right? Yeah. And I'm like, wow, it's just like those little things of like, they make it a little more

dramatic, a little bit more passionate, just a little bit more eccentric. And I think that's what makes it so just exciting and gorgeous. It's just a gorgeous culture. There's a lot of words to describe. Like, I feel like Spanish is really good. They use a lot of words to describe something that in English might be of one word. Yes. Yes. And that's what they say to when I talk to like my friends about English that are learning English. They're like, it's such a complicated language because English has a lot of words for one thing. And Spanish really doesn't, you know? And so I think that's what really makes it different is that, like, you know, you don't have all this confusion of random words to describe one thing. You just have, I can explain it to you best by being this poetic,

lovely Spanish-speaking woman. And then it's going to roll off the tongue and you're going to like the way it sounds. And then I'm just going to draw you in. And that's it. Who are you traveling with these days? Live. All the time is you and live? Yeah, pretty much, pretty much just me and her. That sounds wild. Honestly, yeah, it is. It's so much fun. We have so much fun together.

Most of the time we sleep a lot. I feel like her and I, when it comes to like our downtime and what we want to do, we're on such of the same level. And she's really, I found that she's really helped calm my stress a lot too with being on the road. Like I really think like being around her and her great energy and her high vibration and getting all this beautiful rest that we get on the road from after, you know, wrestling our hearts out the nights before.

It's been just really, really good. good for me mentally, physically, and spiritually. Who usually drives? Me. But you know what? That's why she gets so much rest. I will say, though, when it is clutch time and like we had a long drive, I can't, it was like a six hour drive at night after a show.

And I did the first three and a half. And this girl, I don't know how she does it, but she pulled through those last three and a half because I was, I was getting ready to knock out. I was like, this is end game for me. We got to pull over. But she, she crushed it. She can stay up late. three hours of the morning.

Yeah, she can stay up late if she really needs to. She's a Jersey girl. She really is. Yeah. Sometimes I'm like, dude, I gotta go to sleep. How are you still like fully energetic and like awake? I don't know how you guys do any of this. Because you'll get to the town at like two in the morning and then like wake up at six to do press.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, sometimes it's the way it is. Yeah. But you get your sleep on your off days. So I think that's good too. I guess that's a good way of looking at it. I'm sure on those days you're like, it'd be nice to get more than three hours of sleep.

You know, even when I'm home sometimes though, like if I'm really, really distracted, I won't get that much sleep. And I'm like, so what's, you know, what's the difference really? I think on the road I get more sleep than I do at home sometimes. Really? Wow. Yeah, I have to be really tired at home to not want to, like, go do something or like hang out with my family or see my niece or anything like that. So it really, really takes like me pulling it all night or Monday night to sleep all day, Tuesday. How'd you come up with the Tejana bomb? So actually, Raulmendoza, who's also known in LWS del Toro. He actually found it for me and he helped me out with that. So a wrestler and Lucha Underground. was doing something similar.

Oh, who? I love Lucha Underground. Yes, he wore like the jumpsuit and he had the mask. It was like a black mask. And it was just like a big jumpsuit with the sleeves cut off. You know what I mean? I can't think of his name right now. It's escaping me.

King Querto? Yes, yes. That sounds right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And obviously he's like a big, strong physical character as well. So I was like, yeah, I should be watching this man. He's great. So I got a little bit of an idea from that with him.

And I think what was going on was he was going down with it. And as we were just talking about it and I was practicing the move, they were like, I think it looks more powerful if you can stay standing up, you know, but I wanted to make sure it was something safe I could give the girls. And so it's a simple move. Actually, it really isn't that complicated. And I feel super, super easy with just like getting people up for it and just coming up with ideas to like either hit it or get out of it. Like it's a fun move. I'm really excited about like the idea that I got to do that.

You know, it's such a big, intimidating move, too. You don't see a lot of one-handed power bombs. And you talk about it being safe, and I know it is, but you deliver it with such authority. Thank you. Well, and also. You put the person through them at. I can't imagine being my opponent either because I am six feet tall. And so, like, picking them up, I know they're used to getting picked up, but picking them up over my head.

I think that, like, that really intimidates them as well. That's a long drop because that's seven plus feet. Yeah, yeah. They're now falling. I'm like, guys, it's like taking a bump off the third top buckle, right? Like, it's totally fine. But who wants to do that? Fine.

What was it called before? It was called the chinguana bum. And this, it could sound like a bad word, right? Well, chinguana means, I guess it's slang because it could mean something in different in every of the countries in South America. Like, it just depends what part you're at. But, like, in Spanish, Mexican Spanish, it means badass. It means like a female baddest.

You're a chinguana. Or we would say, like, oh, chingon and that's like kind of saying like yo that's so cool like that's so badass you know like you could say this is chinguan or she's chinguan or ke chingon um and so i really just like that word i was like oh i like it because it has like a grittiness to it it means badass um but yeah it could be a bad word and so isn't that the reason yeah because like if it said slightly wrong yes it sounds like a bad word exactly yeah so that was the reason that we had to change it for sure i was like really but no, don't say it if you can't say it then, but...

Called the badass bomb. Oh, that's not as cool. It's really not. I tell you, English doesn't have the same ring to it as Spanish does sometimes. Spanish is just so beautiful. I know, I know. So then it probably took you a while to come up with what's it going to be called now. Yeah, yeah, it was.

I mean, we were, like, toying with the word Chicana, too, but I always felt like why I want to represent the Mexican culture in Texas because that's where I'm from. And it's totally different from, like, the Mexican culture in California. Our food is a little bit different. the Spanish and the slang might be a little bit different. And so I was like, Tejana seems like a good kind of word to like pick on the spot. We had to pick it quick.

So we didn't really have that much time. You're so right about the food. I live in Southern California. But when you go to Texas, Tex-Mex is something else. It's different, right? It's great. Yes, yes. And like, I'm not a big fan of the Americanized Tex-Mex with like the nacho cheese and all that.

I like the Tex-Mex that I grew up on, which is like a flower tortilla for breakfast with potatoes and egg or potatoes and choris. So a good breakfast taco. That's to me as very Tex-Mex. That's how a breakfast taco? Yeah, I say flour tortilla and people are like, let's make a burrito or that's a burrito. And I'm like, why? Because it's a flower, it's a taco. It's a taco. We roll it up just like a taco too, right? It's smaller, right? Yeah, yeah. You can make different sizes of flour tortillas all the time. The United States Soccer Federation presents the U.S. Soccer Podcast.

My name is David Goss, and I'm joined by my co-host, Megan Clevenberg. And now we're giving people an inside look at the World Cup. I think you can feel the intensity. All the guys are wanting to really take their claim, and they want to be on that World Cup roster. There's no doubt about it. Hosting the World Cup on the home soil comes with its pressures, but we're just really excited just as the people are.

The U.S. Soccer Podcast, presented by Henko. Follow and listen on your favorite platform. When you did this announcement in the Walmart, I thought that was so fun. I would have been so nervous to do that. Thank you. You know what's funny is they put that like meat and greet on us last minute. And so Liv and I got up early and we're like, you know, do-to-do-do-do-do-do-doing around, doing our just little...

We're just having our little fun morning and we go to do this meet and greet and we're waiting and we're just, you know, being us, having fun, getting ready and we're excited. And we walk out to the Walmart, like through the back door where they have the table and everything set up and I see the phone with the intercom. And the guy's like, hey, I think I'm going to make an announcement just so people in the store know we're about to start the meet and greet. And I was just like, can I do it? I don't know what came over me, but I was like, can I do it? I just, I wanted to be on a Walmart intercom. And so I was like, this seems like a prime opportunity. And also, I don't think I was on that meet and greet with Liv.

I think I just like, I just showed up with her because I was staying with her and I was like, I have nothing else to do. Let's go together. So we did. And I wanted to introduce her and I got to introduce her as the greatest women's world champion of all time. I got to introduce her as the first ever crown jewel champion. And we had a really good little meet and greet. It was fun. I'm just imagining the average person who doesn't know anything about wrestling pushing their

cart around Walmart being like, what is, what is this? Yeah, for sure. And that's funny because people came to the meet and greet and they told us that. We were like, we came over here because we wanted to see who was talking on the intercom. And I was like, yes. Well, because usually it's like attention Walmart. Yeah. And you had like so much life and like energy and like you were cutting a promo essentially.

I was so excited to do it. Honestly, I was like, well, if I get this opportunity, I should make it the best that I can. And so I grabbed our social media guy who was with us. I was like, record this. It's going to be good. I worked at a pet store in the mall in high school. And I always wanted to be a broadcaster. Always wanted to be on TV.

I remember getting so nervous though when I would grab that. It was a phone, you know, and you would talk into that. Yeah. The time is now 8.50 and PJ's Pet Center is closing at 9 o'clock. I would be so nervous and there would be like, you know, 14 people in the store. Really? Thinking like, well, how could I ever want to do this in front of hundreds or thousands of people one day? You were just a baby.

Yes. Yeah. It was like if I can do this now. That's right. I can continue to, I can get through this. There can be more. Do you still get nervous? Of course.

Yeah. I still get nervous before matches, before promos a lot too. Even sometimes before live interviews and even these kinds of interviews and podcasts, you know, like, I find that sometimes I might say something and I'm like, oh, take it back. You know, like, no, I don't want that out there. But I feel like, yeah, my nerves definitely come more with the matches, which is always a good thing. I think it's good to be nervous. Does it go away as soon as the bell rings?

Yes, because the adrenaline and the, like, worker bee kick in. You know what I mean? So, like, the adrenaline starts because you see the crowd out there and then the worker bee kicks in and it's like, yeah, it's go time. And it just starts like, for me, at least, once it's go time, it's like, yeah, I know what I'm doing. I know what, what's going to happen next and how I'm going to take her down and how, you know, all these things. And so, like, yeah, the worker bee really kicks in. It takes them minute for me to come back down off the adrenaline to be like, okay, that wasn't as bad as I thought. They were as nervous as my stomach was before I walked out that curtain. I really feel like once you walk out that curtain, the nerves kind of just shake off to you. But how do you come down from

that high, that adrenaline high? It's really hard. Raw ends at 11. You're probably not back at the hotel till after midnight. Yeah, sometimes we don't go to bed. I mean, last Monday we didn't go to bed at all because our flights were so early. We had 6 a.m. flights. So we just didn't go to bed at all. Pulled in all lighter. Yeah. Slept on the plane. Slept of the plane. slept a little bit on the plane and then slept all day Tuesday at home. Yeah, definitely it took a lot out of me. But yeah, like it's really, really hard to come down off of those nights because you're just so like amped up. You know, you were just in a fight.

Yeah. You were just in a brawl. Like you were brutally getting hit or hitting someone else or picking someone up. And I try really hard not to drink coffee past five. And I've been staying away from a lot of pre-workouts and energy drinks since my skin issue. And I feel like my natural energy has been getting me through a lot of this. It's been enough. It's been enough. And so I think that helps me kind of unwind, too. I know a lot of people still drink the energy drinks or they drink the coffee right before the matches. And I'm like, oh, that's going to keep them up all night. That's a good point. Yeah. I mean, that combined with the adrenaline, it's like, how are you going to go to sleep?

Exactly. How do you sleep on that? No, I don't know how you would sleep on that. I think there's a, do you think there's a moment in time where you and live maybe come to a disagreement over something? Oh, I don't want to think about it. It's too sad to me. No, I don't want to think about it. There's a great story there, though. I know, I know. And it's like, you know, it's one of those things where everybody knows that, like, all the tag teams have to get broken up eventually.

They all do. They all have to fight each other eventually. And I'm just really enjoying my time being in cahoots with her and being a part of the group that I don't want to think about the time that she's going to break my heart or I might break hers. Who knows? You could turn on her. I could turn on her. I could turn on her. That's a possibility.

But who knows? Also, how have you won this many tag? team championships with Liv Morgan and you guys don't have a name. I know. I know. I don't know how we've done this. You know, we've played with a lot of names. Live in something is what we're thinking. Live in something. It's too late now. You think so? Sorry, we just live quill. Is that? Because I see that's a thing. They just combined our names. That could work. Live well. If WWE hasn't given you a name by now, it's a little, it's a little, it's a little, we've won three championships together. Yeah, you're right.

It's a little late. Yeah. I guess we're just considered the judgment day too. So that's like our tag day, right? The judgment day, the women's tag team champions. Because when the men in the Judgment Day win the title, it's the Judgment Day. Yeah. So same for you guys. Same for us. Yeah. Okay.

That's when we're going to go with it. The Judgment Day. I mean, fair enough. Or boring, maybe. It's a little, yeah, it's a little simple. Could be better. Live quell. Rack.

No, that's not. It's tough. Well, because Liv's just one word in three letters. I know. It's really tough because we were really like racking our brains when we first won the titles. Racking your brains. Racking your brains. Is that the right way to say?

You know, Raquel. Oh, rack. Oh, rack. I like that rack. No, there's nothing there. Yeah, there's really not. Dead end. It's really hard.

The judgment day. The judgment day it is for now. Fair enough. Who knows? We might have something later that, I don't know. We'll see. Beautiful side plates. Thank you.

Yes, the greatest. I told Liv, we should get one that says a three and an X for the three-time women's tag team champions. We're the first. Why not, right? Four X for the next one, I guess. Yeah, for sure. No.

We're very proud to hold these titles. Very honor to hold these titles. to hold these titles again. We're excited about what we're going to do with these titles. There's so much that we can do. We can be at NXT. We can be at SmackDown. We can be at RAW.

We can be at TNA. Who knows. So, I mean, the possibilities are endless right now. Do you think you guys could hang on to these until WrestleMania? For sure. For sure. I think we were working. What kind of question is that?

Yeah, what kind of nonsense? Of course we can. And we will. You want to take Honabom? We will. We will hold them until mania. No, we've been working like a really good oiled machine lately. And so I feel like I think it's going to be really hard to break what we have right now.

Do you plan out matches like, is it 50-50? Like you're going to be in there 50% of the time, tag me out. I'll be in there half the time. I think it depends. I think it depends on what's best for the story. And it just depends, especially with our size difference, you know, and telling that story with her being so much smaller than me and me being so much bigger than most of our opponents.

It really just depends on who's best for the story in that point of time in the story, in the match. It feels like if you were to look at the roster and like, we're going to take these people and make them a tag team, I feel like you guys are polar opposites. Oh, yeah. And that's why you were. But why were you paired up in the first place?

I have no clue. To be honest with you, no clue. They put us together when I had just gotten called up, really. I was still pretty new to the main roster. And we were getting ready for like WrestleMania and they were talking about like an eight woman tag. And I think they needed tags at the time.

There wasn't too many like actual tag teams. And so I think we just were in a random match together and we had really good chemistry. And to be honest, too, we weren't even really good friends then. Like, you know, she had her friends and her crew that she kind of hung out with and I had mine. And so we worked together and we did really well together. And things just kind of like grew from there. And then mania happened in L.A. And that was my first mania.

And I got to tag with Liv and we had the cool powerball move. And I think that was, you know, something that opened people's eyes to what we were able. to do. And then the Monday after Rania, they were like, you guys are tagging again. So it went from being, it's funny, because that Monday, too, I remember, we were in completely opposite matches. Like, she was in a triple threat with two other people. And I was in a triple threat, triple threat with two other people. And literally, as the show's about to start, the doors are opening, people are coming into the arena. They're like, scratch that, putting you guys in a tag. Wow. And so it just kind of went from there. Yeah. And we just, I think what makes Liv and I work really well, too, is that

we want to really elevate the tag division and we want to elevate any match that we're in together and we want to elevate each other. And so when we talk about like what we want to accomplish that night or what we want to do with these tag titles, it's always being on the same page with each other. And so that comes with building a relationship with each other too because if we want to show people how good our chemistry is in the ring, we should have that outside too. And so we really took the time to like bond and become friends. And yeah, it's, it's been so much fun ever since because we really are really good friends now. And that doesn't always happen with tag teams.

Yeah, that doesn't really always happen with tag teams. And sometimes you have people who aren't friends that are tag teams and they're great. And you'd still never know. And you still never know. Yeah, yeah. But Liv and I, we really just got along and we had a lot of the same values and beliefs. And it just worked. And so it was really, really fun getting to tag with her the first year.

The second time we won it in London at Money in the Bank. We just, yeah, it's been amazing. When she started doing her single stuff and became the champion, I think people kind of assumed like her days of tagging, it's done now. Yeah. What brought that back? I think what brought that back was bringing me back in as her enforcer. Like it really took a little bit, I think, for them to realize, you know, after the year

I had off that I could still move and do these things like I was doing before because I really wanted to show them I hadn't lost a beat, even though it was tough. It was so tough coming back into this. But yeah, I think that's what really took the shift was me being her enforcer and us working as a team again. And even when we got the opportunities to tag together, we always talked about how we wanted to look like a well-oiled machine that is an actual tag team that is an evil mean B-word team. You know, like I don't know how to say this. But a B-word team, like a team that is on the same page and they're both willing to do whatever it takes to win.

Let's go to bad blood and Dom being in this shark cage. Oh, poor Dom, you know, he's afraid of heights. Oh, poor Dom. And he's hanging upside down. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then Ria comes and just pretends he's a pinata and like starts whacking him. I was like, oh my God. This is insane.

This is insane. But honestly, like, I didn't even have a chance to watch that whole part either because I was just waiting for my chance to come out. So, but being there, it was, it was surreal for sure. I was like, oh, my God, it's happening. Like, this is actually like, like, I felt really good at that point. When I came back last February for elimination chamber, I felt good and I felt healthy and I was having small reactions.

But my face blew up the night after that Monday night raw where I won. the chance to be an elimination chamber on the flight to Australia. So I was like, I don't know what's going on. And after bad blood, I was like, wow, I feel like, you know, we did a little bit of makeup, some light stuff, and I washed it off and nothing, nothing was wrong. And I was like, great. This is amazing. Things are back to where they should be.

I can be live as enforcer. I can help Dominic, Poracito goes up there getting. What does that mean? Like, it means like, oh, how do you explain it? Like, oh, poor Cito, like, oh, poor boy. You know, like he's getting his asslo. Poor little baby. Yeah, poor little baby, Dom.

So, yeah, it was just a fun night. It was really, really fun. I had my parents there. They were excited to be there in Atlanta. It was such a good show. And then the rock shows up. And then the rock shows up, right? It's like, no big deal.

Oh, my gosh. What a time we're living in and wrestling right now. Honestly, honestly. It truly is. Like, I see Lillian Garcia out there announcing me. And I'm like, when I was younger, did I ever think Lillian Garcia would be out there announcing me with her beautiful voice and her beautiful soul? And the first time she announced me too, and she rolled those arms.

and she said it with such power. I was like, oh, yes. I'm like, in that moment, too, I was like, I made it. I made it, Lillian Garcia just announced to me. And even getting to wrestle Trish Stratus, like, you know, I was like, I have to have a singles match with Trish Stratus. Oh, my God, like the pressure is on. You beat Trish Stratus.

I ragdalder. That was fun. That was fun. Oh, it was so good. It was so good. Just moments like that, though, that I'm just like, yeah, what a time. Trish hasn't lost a step. No, she hasn't.

And she's aged about 10 minutes in the last 25 years. Right? I know. I'm always asking her. I'm like, what do you do? She's like, I drink water. Yeah, she does. She drinks a lot of water.

She stays hydrated. That's all we have to do? Great. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Stay away from the alcohol because that dehydrates you, dries you, ages you a little bit, drink nothing but water and you should be fine. But think about this.

You beat up Trish Stratis. I know. I know. It's so crazy. And even Rhonda Rousey, getting an opportunity when I first got calls up to Maine Roster to work with Rhonda. I was like, I felt the pressure for sure. And when I talked to people about being able to work with her and how amazing she is,

it's always mind-blowing to me still that I got that opportunity to be in the ring with her and work with her and know her and put on a great, for me, what was a really good match. You know, it was a really good mix-up that we had. Where do you go from here? It's tough. You know, it's tough. I definitely think I go to WrestleMania as tag team champions and me and live retain, whoever it is that we will face.

And then after that, I think we hold on to these bad boys for as long as we can, and we become the longest reigning three-time greatest ever world-breaking women's tag team champions. And then possibly, who knows, if Liv gets, you know, a singles opportunity and she gets to be Liv two belts, maybe there's an opportunity for me to also be Raquel two belts and get a singles opportunity. You know, that intercontinental title looks really pretty. And so does Chelsea's United States championship. You know, since I've been visiting Smackdown more, I've been admiring it a little bit more from afar. Oh, really?

What do you think of it? I think it's beautiful. What a lovely title. It's so gorgeous. And I think, you know, Chelsea, I love her. She's so great. Piper, too. I love them both.

But be careful. Watch your back. Oh. You know, I love Chelsea. She's a fellow Canadian. Yes. She's holding the United States Championship. Yes.

How does that make you feel? I feel like she should have done what Lance Storm did in WCW, where he rebranded it, the Canadian Championship. Oh. Instead, she's leaning. Well, I guess she is an American citizen now, but she's leaning into like, she's, you know, she's the American American now. And I'm like, wait a second.

She's Miss America. But we're a Canadian. And we love being proud Canadian. You should remind her that. I should. She has a T-shirt where she's the Statue of Liberty. Yeah, yeah. It's a great T-shirt.

It's a great T-shirt. I also think it's ironic that the first ever women. United States champion is not from the United States. She's Canadian. I know. It's so funny. It's so funny. But this is maybe why you should win it.

I think so. Yeah. I hope Chelsea doesn't see that part. I hope she does. It's okay. Don't worry, Chris. You know, if you're on my team, you're always protected. Yeah.

So you don't have to worry about Chelsea seeing this and like trying to, I got you. She's mean. I'll handle her. She is. She can be feisty. Yeah. She gives that slap, that mean slap that she gives. Honestly, that slap gets me going, though.

Every time she delivers it to me, I'm just like, Oh, it's on. I feel like there's some dissension in the judgment day. Things aren't going that well. Well, they could be better. They could be better. Maybe it's just because you're missing a member. I think so.

I think so. It's been tough for the boys. I mean, me and Liv, it was a little tough for us at first. We were having our rocky moments. But now that we brought gold back to the judgment day, I think things are a little bit more better. You know, if you listen to Finn, you win. So it's just important for us.

That's it. Yeah, that's it. So I think, I think there's a little. There's a little bit of dissension, but we might be seeing some ups. I feel like everyone's going to be on a good upward trajectory from here on out. Well, thank you for this. Oh, thank you. So great to be able to sit down with you for this.

Yeah. And I appreciate your openness and your honesty. And I just hope you know you've inspired a lot of people by speaking so openly about it. I'm going to end this with the question that I ask everybody at the end. Gratitude is the cornerstone of my life. I wake up every day, say out of three things I'm grateful for. I love that. My wife and I do it before we go to bed.

What are three things you're grateful for right now? Yeah, I'm grateful for my health. I'm grateful for my family. And I'm grateful for the position that I'm in to be able to shed light onto so many things that we deal with in this world that we never talk about. And so I'm just, I'm very grateful for a lot of things. Honestly, the list could go on and on. But definitely those three for sure.

I love that. Well, thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. I really enjoyed this. And I'm so happy I got to do this. I finally got my clothes. Yeah, your bags were lost.

Canada. On behalf of Canada, I apologize. I apology accepted. Oh, thank you to Raquel for sitting down with us in Toronto for this one. And I just appreciate how open and candid she was about her struggles with mass cell activation syndrome. I know that by her sharing her story, it's going to help a lot of people with whatever they're struggling with in their life. And I love that through all of that, she is still out there kicking ass in the ring, making record, set in record. records in WWE. I love it. Can't wait to see what 2025 has in store for Raquel Rodriguez.

Snap a screenshot and let us know that you're listening and tag this one on social media so we can share it. She's at Raquel, WWE. I'm at Chris Van Vleet, and we will wrap up this episode with a quote from Winston Churchill. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Be great and be grateful. We will see you on the next one for some more insight. Samoa Joe joins us on Thursday. You don't want to miss it.

We'll see you right back here on Thursday for that one. Jim Rome takes on sports. Why? Because I have a job to do. With rapid fire takes. So I don't want to hear from you lava pigs on this notion today. No idea what you're talking about. You're complaining more than you like to breathe air.

It's like you get up in the morning only to complain. and cry and moan on social media about things that you don't even understand. He's the spitfire of sports smack. Take advantage of it, but get up in here. The Jim Rome Show podcast. What should be? Follow and listen on your favorite platform. You've been warned.