Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Roxanne Perez Is The Prodigy! Judgement Day, Training With Booker T, NXT Championship, WWE Main Roster

Episode Date: August 21, 2025

Roxanne Perez (@roxanne_wwe) is a professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. She sits down with Chris Van Vliet in New Jersey to discuss training at Booker T's Reality of Wrestling at a young age and how it led to WWE, deciding on the Pop Rox as her finisher, getting called up to the main roster and if she thinks she was ready at that point, being the first wrestler younger than SmackDown to wrestle on the show, and more!Quote I'm thinking about: “We didn't realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.” - Winnie The PoohPlease 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   SUPERPOWER: Go to https://Superpower.com and use code CVV to get $50 Off your annual Superpower subscription. Live up to your 100-Year potential. #superpowerpod   SEAT GEEK: Use my code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/CVV2025 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount PRIZEPICKS: Download the app today and use code INSIGHT to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup!  TIMELINE: Go to https://timeline.com/insightto get 20% off your order of Mitopure!   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   ROCKET MONEY: Join Rocket Money today and reach your financial goals faster: https://rocketmoney.com/cvv 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 with the code CVV at https://bluechew.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: instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet Twitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVliet YouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVliet TikTok: tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Van Fleet. Ah, yes, welcome back, my friends, to another one here on Insight. I'm CVV. Chris Van Fleet, thank you for being with us on this episode. And thank you for making Insight the number one wrestling podcast on the planet. Hit a close line on that follow button wherever you're listening right now so you don't miss out on new episodes every Tuesday, Thursday. Thursday and Friday. The Prodigy.

Roxanne Perez is on the show today for the very first time. She's fresh off her run as one half of the WWE tag team champs with Raquel Rodriguez. She is deep into what they're doing with Judgment Day right now. And on top of all that, she's already been an NXT tag team champion, a two-time NXT women's champion. And she won the slammy this year for NXT superstar. other year, all that. And she's only 23 years old. I think that sometimes people forget how old she is because how good she is in the ring. She actually made a joke during this interview that SmackDown

is older than she is. Like, think about that. There's a wrestler right now, Roxanne Perez, on the roster with a resume like that. And she's younger than Smackdown. Wild. I just love how powerful. She is about what she does. And you'll hear the story here when she first started training with Booker T. She was taking the Greyhound bus from Laredo to Houston just to make that happen, just to fuel that dream. And now she's doing it. Talk about dedication. Snap a screenshot and share this online and tag us so we can share it.

She's at Roxanne underscore WWE. I'm at Chris Van Fleet. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome. Roxanne Perez. Well, it's so great that we're finally making this happen. I'm really excited. Me too. What a day you've had already. Can we peel back the curtain a little bit? Like, what does your day look like? And we're only at 1.30 right now as we're recording this. Yeah. So I got up at around 630 and I went over to hair and makeup and got ready for some appearances for today. First one was me and Raquel went to a food bank and we helped pack some foods for people in need. That was very, really nice and like pretty eye-opening to experience and help with. And then we went to a hospital and visited some children that were sick. And that's always really cool because I don't know,

like the way they light up when we walk in and, you know, they're struggling. So for us to be that little, little like, ounce of happiness for them that day is really cool, you know. So then we've got this interview now. Then do you have anything else today? Yeah. Then I have a signing in another signing and then rehearsal for our match. Isn't this amazing? It is. You're living your dream. Yeah.

You're doing it. And I'm sure there's moments where it feels overwhelming or you're tired, but I'm sure it's rooted in the idea of like, I dreamed for this to happen. Yeah, absolutely. I saw a post the other day and it was like, how grateful am I to be tired over a job that I prayed for? And it's so true because like sometimes the travel is crazy.

I'm still kind of getting my feet wet and getting used to it. But whenever I remember 10-year-old me, I'm just like, this is all I ever wanted. So I'm grateful to be tired. Was that it? At 10 years old, that was when you decided you wanted to be a wrestling? Yeah, yeah. What was the moment? I feel like it was a bunch of moments combined into one, but just everything about wrestling,

the storytelling, the athleticism. I was big into sports when I was a kid, and then I loved theater and acting. So seeing them combine the two, I think, was really cool to me. And then seeing the woman go, I was like, oh, okay, I can do it. What sports were you playing growing up? I went back and forth, a bunch of different sports. My mom got so annoyed because she was always buying new things, new shoes, like soccer shoes, ballet shoes. I did gymnastics.

I did cheerleading. I did basketball. I was, like, bouncing around until I found wrestling. Then I started training really young. Was there a certain match that made you fall in love with wrestling? Or maybe a moment, like feud that was going on at that time? Yeah. I definitely remember one of the biggest storylines that made me really just love wrestling so much was Therog

versus John Sina, that once in a lifetime match. Just the whole story, everything that went into it, like all the things that came out of it, the fruity pebbles, the, you know, the rock going out there and singing songs on the guitar and all of that. It was just so cool to me. So you started training at 13. Mm-hmm. How? How are they letting a 13-year-old train? Yeah, I don't know.

Yeah, so my stepdad, which is basically like my dad, he's been in my life since I was three. I told him and my mom when I was like 10, I'm going to be a wrestler when I get older. And I was literally on a laptop, our family laptop, and I was looking up wrestling schools. And I found Bougartees in Houston, which was like five, six hours from my hometown. So I called them over and I was like, when I turn 18, I'm going to move to Houston and I'm going to start training to be a wrestler. And they were like, okay, sure, like if that's your dream, okay. And then my stepdad found a local wrestling show called Laredo Wrestling Alliance in my hometown. He started taking me to those shows when I was just a kid.

And I loved it. Like I, even though it was like the smaller shows, I was obsessed and I wanted to do anything to be a part of it. So I remember the guy that ran it, Ray Chavaria, my dad started talking to him. And he was like, yeah, well, like if she wants, she can take their ring jackets. and bring him to the back for us. I was like, yeah, I'll do that. I was like 11. And now you're part of the show.

Yeah, yeah. Then I was part, now I'm part of the show. And so, yeah, there's two guys there that helped me train George Benavides and Johnny Angel when I was about 13. Because my mom actually asked when I was 12, but he was like, give her a year more, put her in some like cheerleading. So I did that. And then when I was 13, I went back. It's funny that 12's too young. I know, right.

14's okay. They're like the teens. She needs to be in the teens. Oh, that's fair. Sure. So, yeah. So then my first day, I walked into a warehouse with my mom, and it was a bunch of sweaty, older men in the ring.

And my mom was probably like, what have I gotten her into? But I rolled around with them. And it came pretty natural because I did cheerleading gymnastics, so that helped. And, yeah, after that day, I was just like, yeah, I love this. I want to keep doing it every single day until I get here. Do you remember taking your first bump? Yes. And how much it hurt?

Yes. That was probably the thing I was most terrified of. So my mom likes to tell this story all the time because it was, I was trying to take my first bump. And I was really scared. And they were like, just fall. And it's not natural to just fall, you know? So I'm like, I can't. I can't do it.

And probably for like 30 minutes. I'm like, I can't do it. I can't do it. And my mom is sitting there. She calls me over. She's like, get over here. Like, okay. She's kind of upset.

She's like, you made me drive over here. You're saying, this is your dream. She's like, I'm sitting here. It's really hot. She's like, if you don't take that bump, we're going to leave and we're not coming back. And I was like, okay. So I got back in the ring, took the bump. And my mom was like, see, you got it.

Your mom must be so proud of you now. Oh my gosh. Yeah. She's so proud. Yeah. She's like my biggest supporter ever, you know? She was the one that took me to all of my trainings. She wrote with me to some of my matches when I wasn't taking the Greyhound.

Yeah, she's so awesome. She was just at Evolution with me. She came to watch me. And I was telling her, like, I think this is like my I made it moment. Like I remember watching Evolution with my mom on the couch and telling her one day I'm going to be in that ring with all women. And then flash forward like seven years later, the second evolution happens. And I'm in the back with my mom watching the main event and, you know, being women's tag team champion. So it's crazy. Wow. You were taking the Greyhound to train? Yes. Yeah. From where to where? From Laredo to

Houston. That is so far. Yeah. So would you take it and then go back the same day? Sometimes. So my aunt and my uncle, Daisy and Tony, they're the best. They have a house in Houston. So I would stay there on their couch and whenever I would go and train at Bookers. So it was about like 45 minutes away from where they lived. So whenever I had off time from school, if I had spring break or summer or, you know, a weekend off that I didn't have a wrestling show, I would take the Greyhound and go over to Bookers to just train. So how old were you when you started with Booker Tee? I was about 16. 16.

Yeah. So where does school fall into this at this point? I was doing my homework on the bus. So yeah, I'd be with my laptop or all my papers. And then once I got to like 17, 18 years old is when I was like a senior in high school. So I was also doing college classes at the same time. And that was tough because it was like I was. was doing an indie show and then finishing my match and running to the back and trying to finish

a test online and in the back with all everybody around me. I'm like, I got to finish this by 1159. So were you just driven by it was just pure passion that you wanted to do this and you believed in your heart that you knew you could get to WWE? Yeah, yeah, pure passion. Like I just, yeah, for some reason, I was just like, if I just work really hard and I keep going, like, I know I'm going to be there one day. I just know it. And this might be a difficult question to answer, but you say some reason. What do you think that reason was? What was it that made you have this belief you could do it? Um, I don't know. I think like a lot of women that I looked up, there was a lot of women that I looked up to. Um, a few of them where people like Paige and Becky Lynch and, um, AJ Lee and, and they all

started when they were really young. I'm not sure about AJ Lee, but I know Paige and Becky were like 13 when they started training. And I remember seeing that and being like, oh my gosh, I need to start now. Like, I need to start now because by the time maybe I'm like 18, 19, I can be there if I just perfect my craft right now. So I think it was a lot of people that I looked up to that inspired me that made me believe that I could do it to. So it's the idea that if you started at 13, by the 13, by the time,

time you're 18, now you've got five years experience. Anybody else who's starting at 18 has none. Yeah, exactly. So you'd have a head start on everybody else. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

What was it like when you first started working with Booker? That was really cool. That was really, really cool because I was a big fan of Booker, too. And so starting to work with him at 16 and then having Charmel there too, I love Charmell. It was like, you know, I was still like a kid. So going over there and not. really knowing anybody, but having Booker and Charmel, they're basically like, kind of like my second parents. She always says, she's like, yeah, I'm like her mom. But yeah, it was awesome.

And I am really grateful that Booker saw me as like a scrawny 16-year-old kid and was like, okay, like, I see something in her. And I feel like she's taking this serious. I'm going to take her serious, too. There's something about what he does at reality wrestling that prepares you for the next level. Like it's not just in ring training. It's TV training. Yeah. Like it's he's preparing you to work the cameras, to know where they're at to have great facial expressions. Yeah, which is really hard to learn, like fast, which like I give so much credit to the people that come into the PC and then they're on TV within like a few months or a year and they've never wrestled in their life because it's like so much that goes into it. And I got to get that head start with Booker where not all the

Indies have that, but he has like the big nice setup and he has the cameras and he's teaching you like, you know, when you're doing this, you need to look cool. And when you're doing this, you need to look at the camera this way. But don't make eye contact to the camera. Like just different things like that and time cues and all of that. I've been to a lot of different indie companies. I've never seen anything like reality wrestling. It's like a mini PC. Yeah. It basically is. Yeah. And he has a whole setup. He has. He has like a room with like three training rings. He has a whole gym in there.

It's awesome. So Booker has a lot of Bookerisms, right? Do you have some favorite Bookerisms? I like when he's like, what to hell? That's a good one. I have a memory of him saying that, being really, really upset. At you? At me?

Yeah. What'd you do? So this was a few years back. I think I was probably like 17, 18. And me and my friend Rachel Rose on the Indies, we had a match that night. And we were not at reality of wrestling. We were at a different venue. And in that venue, it was closed doors like this.

And you couldn't really hear what's going on in the audience or anything. So we had a really hard time planning our match. that day for some reason, which was weird because we wrestle all the time. But we're in the back and I can't multitask. So I'm like trying to tie one of my boots. My other boot is off. Trying to tie it while also calling the match. And I was like, wait, do you mind checking what match is on right now?

And she's like, yeah, yeah, let me go check. As she goes, she's like, your music's playing. And now one boot on, I'm like, no way. You're lying. You're kidding. And she's like, no, your music's playing right now. And I was like, oh my God. I was like, I can't go out.

Like, my boots not on. It's like every wrestler's worst nightmare not having your boots on. So she's, I'm like, just, I don't know, go tell them that I'm not ready. She runs out. She's like, hail. And I just hear Booker go, what the hell? And I was like, oh, my God. I'm like trying to tie my boot as fast as I can.

And he slams a door open. He's like, what the hell is going on? I'm like, uh, we were just having a hard time calling the match. I couldn't get my boot on. And he's like, start screaming and he's like walking out the door. He's like, this is what happens when you think you're over.

And I was like, what? So then, yeah, Rachel goes out, has to cut a promo while I finish tying my boot. I'm like claw clip in my hair, makeup half done. And I'm like going out there. I'm like crying and Charmel comes in.

And she's like, don't ever let him talk to you like that ever again. And I'm like, okay, Charmel. And then, yeah, we went out there, wrestled, had a good match. And so when we walked to the back, Booker was like, okay, kid, you redeemed yourself. What a lesson learned at that stage of your career? Yes. Like, could you imagine doing that now?

Oh, my God, no. And you never will. No, I never will. I bet you get to the arena now and put your gear on immediately. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm traumatized. This episode is brought to you by Timeline. Have you tried all the health trends, but you're still feeling tired, foggy, or off your game?

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which means you've still got a chance to see him before he hangs them up for good. That's why I want to give a huge shout out to today's sponsor, Seekkeek. With over 28 million downloads, Seatkeek is the number one rated ticketing app. There are more than 70,000 events listed on Seatkeek, including concerts, sports, WWE, festivals, and more. We've also got the NFL season right around the corner, MLB in full swing, and even NHL and NBA, not far behind. I love using Seatkeek because they've got your back. Every ticket is rated on a scale of 1 to 10, so you know. if you're getting a good deal or not.

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automatically apply to your account so you can use it later. Big shout out to Seekek for sponsoring this episode. What is a typical day for you when you get to the arena? What does a TV day look like for you? So usually I get there. If we don't have an arrival, I'll go to catering real quick. And arrivals like the walk up with the suitcase. Yeah.

So usually like we'll change. And Perez is in the house. Yeah. So we'll change. One half of the WWE women's tag. team champions. Yes. So I'll do that. I learned how to use the espresso machine in catering. So I love using that. Was it hard to use? I don't know. I guess I just never tried. But now I got the hang of it. All right. So you got that. Every Monday, I look forward to that. Great express. An espresso machine.

Yes. It's really good. 10 out of 10. Okay. So I'll do that. And then we'll go to the ring, plan our match, however long that takes, go back and get ready, get changed, getting makeup. I love makeup because, like, I feel like when you're having a really stressful day, it's like that time to just sit and decompress. You don't have to think about the match. You don't have to think about what you have to do. It's like you get to connect with the girls a little bit. I feel like the makeup artists are like one of the most important parts of our day.

It almost sounds therapeutic. It really is. Yeah, yeah. We all talk about, like, how therapeutic it is. really. And yeah, and then get ready for my match. If I have time, I'll try to warm up. Sometimes it's like, go, go, go, especially being a part of the judgment day. I didn't realize how many segments they have. And it's like you're in all of them. You're in the guys segments. You got to be, the guys got to be in the girls segments. So it's like all of us getting on the same page and being

like, well, the guys aren't ready yet. Okay, well, the girls aren't ready yet. You know, It's a lot, but I'm having so much fun. I love it. What is Judgment Day done for your career? So much. So much. I feel like I think it's like the perfect way for me to come into the main roster, especially with the history they have.

And I think it's like one of the biggest factions in WW history. Like they've been able to do so much in such a short amount of time. They always seem to have gold. Always. Right? Yeah. You guys. Yeah.

There's always somebody or many people that have goals. Exactly. Who wouldn't want to be a part of the judgment day? Yeah. You guys hiring? I'll talk to some people. I think we got a spot left. Let me know.

It just feels like when you get in with a group like that that is so over, it immediately makes you over too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There's definitely, yeah, truth in that. I think it is still like, also with the story. line I'm in. There's a lot of people that love me right now. There's a lot of people that hate my guts because of what's happening right now. You know, so it's fun like navigating the whole judgment day. What reaction do you like better?

I mean, any reaction is good reaction, right? But, you know, I like that people enjoy me being a part of the judgment day. And I think I kind of fit right in. Like, I feel pretty comfortable there and everybody's awesome. And it feels like what you're doing right now with Raquel. It just, it works, like it clicks. Yeah. Did it click immediately? I think it did. And we have a little bit of history.

So in NXT, she came down to, we had like a pick your poison match. It was me and Elena Black. And Raquel came over to wrestle. her for me and then Ria came over to wrestle me for her. So we had that little dynamic there and then there's a live event, a WB live event main roster when I was still with NXT and it was in my hometown, Laredo, Texas. So I was begging. I was like, is there any way that I can get on that live event? And Rodeog ended up saying yes, which thank you, Rodeog. And I ended up tagging with Raquel on that show against Ila and Alba.

So that was really cool. And so me and Raquel have actually tagged before. And Raquel was actually on my very first indie show, my debut match. She was there when I was 14. It's actually tattooed on my wrist. Oh, wow. Sometimes I'll tell her. Four, eight, 16.

Yeah. I'm like, you were here. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Raquel's like become somewhat of a tag team specialist. Oh, yeah, yeah. She's the best tag partner.

What have you learned about tag wrestling from being her partner? I learned that you, I mean, obviously, you need each other through everything. And I think we have a cool dynamic because, you know, she's really tall, strong. I'm, like, pretty quick pace and aggressive. And I have that mean streak in me. So I think those two mix really well together. I've seen the comparisons online. I'm sure you have two.

Diesel and Sean Michaels. Yeah. Yeah, I have seen that. What a great comparison. Right. Yeah. She got that when she was with Liv. I'm seeing it now again.

Even the way you guys like walk in the back. Like she's up front, almost like, you know, like you're going to have to get through me first to get to Roxanne. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. How much planning goes into just the way that you guys are going to be seen on camera like that? Um, you know, it's funny because actually not much. It just happened.

Yeah, it kind of just happened. Even our, our entrance that we do now where, you know, I, she comes up. I'm on her side and I turn to the back and the camera's coming around. We just happened to just do that one day. And the cameraman was like, yeah, I can come around. We're like, okay. And like, I don't know. There's been so many people that have said like that, that entrance, like keep it.

Like, it gives off so much aura. It's like the perfect entrance. And we're like, oh, wow. Like, we didn't even know that that would be it. We did it by accident. Yeah, we just did it by accident. So, yeah, it's really cool working with Raquel. I feel like we just, we just, yeah, I clicked together.

You just had new theme music debut. I did. Yeah. Yeah. What do you think of your new theme? I like it. Yeah, I feel like I needed something a little less like poppy and like very like, my heel character is very different now.

I used to be very happy and you still have the bright letters yeah yeah but because you know my gear is still like black and whatever color so I still like the colors but it's a little slower it's a little more like mysterious it's darker I like it what do you think I like it where do you take the inspiration for for your hero work um not a lot of people actually um Eddie Guerrero is like probably my top one that I always watch and just his mannerisms and the way he wrestled. And even in his entrance, like it's like he's not doing much, but he is with his face. And so him for sure, Sam Punk, like he was one of my favorite heels growing up. AJ Lee, Alexa Bliss's goddess era.

So many. but I think those are like my top foreign spotes that I look at. So how crazy is it that you're talking about being inspired by Alexa Bliss? And then you get to work with her. I know. Yeah. Now I get a kick her butt.

Keep my championship against her. But what a full circle moment. No, yeah. To like watch her as a kid. Yeah. Be inspired by her and then be standing in the ring across from her. It is really crazy. And I feel like I have so many pinch me moments here in WWE.

And I just feel like, they're never going to stop, to be honest, because it's things like this that happen. And I'm just like, I feel like before I was just very starstruck. Like when I first got here and I was just like, oh, my God, this is crazy. And I still feel that way. But now it's more of like a feeling of like, yeah, I belong here. This is how it was supposed to happen. This is everything that I ever worked for.

How long did that take for you to be like, I belong here versus like, I'm the new person here. and I'm trying to find my footing. I think it took me until I won my NXT Women's Championship for the second time. The second time? The second time, yeah. So the first time, I didn't even expect it to happen. I got told the day of that it was going to happen.

It was like a few months into my NXT career. And I was still finding my footing. And, you know, I had that name, the prodigy on my back, but it was like, obviously being on the Indies and being called The Prodigy, I'm like, yeah, like, I feel like I am the youngest, best thing here. And then going to WWE, it's like, oh, shit. Like, sorry, I don't know if I can go. You can say whatever you want. But it was just like, whoa, like, these are all of the people that I grew up watching. Like, am I actually on their level? Am I, am I the prodigy in that sense of being here? And then I won the championship. And that was a really cool full circle moment. It was like, okay, like I did it. I'm finally here. But then doing promos and stuff, I still wasn't comfortable. I didn't do a lot of promos on the Indies. And then people were online, you know, saying that I only want it because of Mandy. And that kind of got in my head a little bit too to where I was like, oh, well, people think this. Maybe. I don't know. But then it was

like, no, like, I earned this. Like, I, I can put on great matches when I go out there. I can get better at my promos. And then I lost the championship. A few months later, and I think actually a year later, I wrestled Lara Valkyria. And that was like, a few months before, that was like the start of my heel arc, like, turning heel. And I started getting more comfortable in that and having fun.

and then when I won it the second time and I started being able to put on more matches I feel like I didn't get that the first time the second time it was like I had a year heel run and a year championship run and I got to put on so many matches and show everybody like this is why they call me the prodigy and I feel like people started seeing that

after the second time. There is a lot of pressure when your nickname is the prodigy right? It's pressure that you put on yourself now but it's also pressure from the people you work with and also the fans like they're expecting a lot from you yeah how do you deal with that kind of pressure um i think now it's like good pressure i think like how i said before it was the pressure of like okay am i the prodigy you know am i can you live up to that yeah can i live up to that

am i as good as i say i am when i'm surrounded by all these people and and now i'm like yeah i am the Prodigy, I've been doing this for 10 years now. I can hang in the ring with Alexa Bliss. I can hang in the ring with Mago Sadamora, with Aska, with all these women. And I'm like, yeah, like, I feel like I finally solidified myself as what I say I am. When did you start to feel comfortable with your promos? I think when I started, when I turned heel, and I felt like almost every week, I was getting handed a page long promo to do in ring. And at first, that was really scary because, like I said, promos weren't my forte. And are they expecting you to say it word for word?

No. Sean used to say, like, you can, you don't have to memorize this word for word. I came up in theater, so I find it easier to memorize than to just go out there and have, like, bullet points. even if it's like from my own words, I can like write something and memorize it and I'm like, okay, I'm good. But... Do you break it down like a script?

Like how you would break down a script in acting? Yeah, pretty much. Like you're writing notes on the side and crossing things out. Yeah, sometimes, yeah. Circling words, underlying words. Yeah. When you look at an actor's sides or script,

it's like, oh, wow, like that's a worksheet. Yeah, yeah. That's basically how I look at it. Wow. And I'll like... like divide them into paragraphs myself and like you know also memorize it by like the story like what's the story I'm trying to tell that'll help me if I do get off track and I forget to memorize something um but yeah uh when I started being a heel is when I got way more comfortable

um obviously doing like page long promos every week it gets you it gets you comfortable so I'm grateful that I got to do that you're like exercising that muscle Yeah, yeah. It just seems to me like heels have so much more fun. Yeah. Honestly, yeah, I'm having a lot of fun as a heel. I can tell. Yeah.

And just the vibe of the judgment day as a whole. It's like they come up on the camera, come up on the screen and it's like, we don't like these people. At the same time, we know this is going to be very entertained. Yeah, like they're kind of cool. We don't really like them that much, but they're kind of cool. Yeah, yeah.

The United States Soccer Federation present the U.S. Soccer Podcast. My name is David Goss, and I'm joined by my co-host, Megan Klinemberg. And now we're giving people an inside look at the World Cup. Time's ticking. I think you can feel the intensity. All the guys are wanting to really stake their claimant, 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 Henco. Follow and listen on your favorite platform. Who are you traveling with these days? I travel with Raquel, and I also travel with Stephanie Backer. So, yeah, those are my two travel buddies. Speaking of promos, do you feel as comfortable to cut a promo in English as you do Spanish? No. So I'm not super fluent in Spanish.

I can pretty much understand everything because my grandma only speaks Spanish. So that's how I learned. My mom didn't really speak much Spanish in the household unless she was mad. So I know a couple of mad, upset phrases in Spanish that I can pull out. But in Laredo, a lot of people are bilingual, right? Yeah, in Laredo, it's like 96% Hispanic people. Because it's right on the border of Mexico. Yeah, right on the border, like right at the tip of Texas.

Yeah. Yeah. So you could cut a promo that's English that cuts into a little bit of Spanish. Yeah. But not fully. You wouldn't feel fully confident to cut in Spanish? No. I definitely, one of my goals is to become super fluent in Spanish.

So I'm talking to my grandma. I feel like Raquel throws it in quite a bit. She does. I think I'm also learning way more Spanish being with Raquel. You should just speak Spanish with her all the time. Yeah, I know, right? I'm going to have her teach me some more Spanish. Yeah. Pop rocks.

Pop rocks. How did this become your finish? So it was actually a name that Sean Michaels and Matt Bloom came up with me. So the very first match that I had, I think it was I was doing a level up match against Sloan Jacobs. And they were like, okay, we need a finish for you. And so I originally on the Indies, at first I did the code red and then I transitioned into doing the old ed. They like a land in between your legs. Yeah.

Like the sit-out. Yeah. So I was like, oh, what about this? And I tried it. And they were like, well, you can't do that to everybody. So no, we don't like that. And I'm like, okay, yeah, that's true. I can't pick up like Nia Jax or Jade Cargo.

So that's out of the picture. And then I said, oh, I used to do the code red on the Indies. And they were like, yep, that's perfect. You use that. And do you have a name for it? I was like, no. I don't. Code Red.

Code Rocks. They were like, no. So we're sitting there trying to come up with names. And Sean says pop rocks. And we were all laughing like, oh, like we thought he was joking. And then we were like, wait, that's actually kind of cool. And I was a baby face at the time. So it was like, yeah, that works.

So what happens now? Zelina uses Code Red. Yeah. So, I mean, we've kind of talked about it. And it's kind of okay. If I'm on, let's say if I'm on Smackdown, I won't use it if she's going to use it. Sure. If she's on raw, she probably won't use it.

I'm going to use it. And like her cousin is Amazing Red. So it's like, it's in her family. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It's, I just love how impactful the move looks. Yeah, me too. And like, especially when you give it to a bigger opponent, it's like it makes you look so

powerful. Yeah. Yeah. That's one of my favorite finishes. Amazing Red is incredible. Yeah. I remember seeing him for the first time in TNA and being like, how is a human capable of doing these things?

Yeah. You like blink and he's. like up there. Yeah. Like, wait, what? Did it take you a while to learn the nuances of doing the code red?

Not really. I feel like that was actually one of the first moves that I wanted to learn when I first What? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And I trained with like a bunch of guys that could base. So they were like, yeah,

let's try it. And yeah, that was like one of the first moves that I learned. It probably should have been like a clothesline or something. Like a lockup. headlock. Yeah. Yeah.

No, no. Right to the code red. Yeah, right to the code red. Four 50s after that. Yeah. I even tried the little booker spin land on the code red. And now I do that one sometimes pull that one out. What's the special occasion for that one? I don't know.

It just depends. Like, if we want out of nowhere, like really shock people, you know? What's been the moment in your career so far? the big pinch me moment where you go, I can't believe this is happening. I feel like it's a mix of, it's between two. It's when I won the NXT Women Championship for the first time, because that was just like, I don't know, crazy. Have you Booker there too and him raising my hand with all the confetti everywhere and knowing that my family was watching me. It was just my first WWE championship ever.

It was like, okay, this, this, like, I made it. I finally did it. I'm a WWE champion. And that's never going to go away. Like, if I, if I stop wrestling tomorrow, like, I was a WWE champion at a point. And you were how old? I was 20. Yeah.

Yeah. I'm sure someone can look this up, but you are either the first or one of the first. people born with after 2000 to win a championship yeah yeah yeah yeah you might be the first yeah i think uh someone said that i was the first person to be younger than smackdown to wrestle on smackdown that's amazing what a fact yeah it's crazy the first person younger than smackdown yeah yeah now you're making me feel old i remember smackdown debuting yeah i know now like I feel so weird telling people like, yeah, I grew up watching you because then I make them feel bad because they're like, you're calling me old. I'm like, no, no, no, no. I was born in 2001.

Yeah. Wild. Yeah, when you like, someone like CM Punk, when you're like, I grew up watching you. Yeah. What's the reaction? He was really cool about it. And like, I think the first thing I told him was like, I love your wife. I love her so much. And he's like, I get that all the time. Literally. That That was probably his exact words. He's like, yeah, I know. I love her too. But yeah, punk has been super awesome too and, like, giving so much advice. And, you know, when I was in NXT, he was always there showing up, even when he had, like, a pay-per-view that night.

He would, like, show up and watch our matches earlier in the day and then go to his match, which he didn't have to do that. He just wants to help the younger generation. He just seems like he loves it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you said that was the one pinch me moment. What's the other one? So there were two? At Evolution.

So, yeah, after the show, we all had a toast of champagne in the women's locker room. And Bailey was like, bring your mom. So I brought my mom in it. And I almost started crying because I was like, oh, my God, this is crazy. Like, my mom is in here with me, surrounded by a bunch of strong, badass woman that I used to look up to. And now I'm in here working with. And it's like everything that I ever talked about, everything that I ever struggled for, everything that I just ever wanted. And she always knew that.

So for her to be there with me was just a big pinch me moment. Well, and if it's not for your mom pushing you to go for this, that moment doesn't happen. Yeah. No. Yeah. I remember during COVID was pretty tough because there was a lot of things that were going to happen. and then COVID happened. It was like I got called for like a ring of honor tryout for that big tournament that we ended up doing after COVID.

Reality of wrestling had set up a thing for the woman to train with Natalia, which I had never met her before. But to train with Natalia, I was just like, I need to do that. And then it all got shut down. And it was like, yeah, you're not doing that. And I went through a tough time because I was like, okay, well, is wrestling never going to happen? you know, like all these opportunities got taken away. And for a little bit, I was kind of down. And my mom was always the one to be like, get up, get out of bed.

Like, yeah, we're in COVID, but go work out. Like, because when COVID ends, like, it's back to the races. Like, get up and keep going. Like, don't get down on yourself. So my mom is like my rock. She's like, the best, the best. You've accomplished so much in a relatively short period of time in WWA. So what now?

So many things. So many things. I definitely want to become a Grand Slam champion. That's my goal by the end of my career. And I need to main event, WrestleMania. Like. Not want. No, yeah, I need.

That's like, that'll just top off everything. And I'm sure, you know, like, everybody does say that. If you're not, if that's not your goal, like, I don't know. What are you doing? Yeah. But yeah, I have a feeling that it'll happen. I feel like the definition for Grand Slam champion for the women changed recently, right? Yeah.

So what are we going by now? Like there's, if we're going by the traditional, you know, Grand Slam rules, there's no Grand Slam champions yet. Yeah, that's true. Right? Because you'd have to win the U.S. Intercontinental Tag world. Yeah. I feel like I can do that now. You can do anything you want, right?

Yeah. I'm going to have to go back to NXT and win the North American Championship, though, one day. Well. Because then I won't be Grand Slam champion. Well, that's the thing. It's completely different rules now. Because all of the people who were Grand Slam champions, I was talking to Bailey about this, I'm like, are you still a Grand Slam champion? She's like, that's a good question.

I don't think so. Yeah. It's like I've got to go win the U.S. title now. Yeah. It kind of sucks. It's like got to race. It's also another mountain to climb, right? Yeah, exactly.

That idea of like they climb the mountain and you're like, I'm up here. And then someone goes, oh, you thought this was the peak? Yeah. It's actually that one right there. Yeah. Which is a cool thing about wrestling. I feel like it's always like that. It's just like you're always climbing another mountain and you're always trying to chase another goal.

Who haven't you worked with one-on-one yet? I haven't worked with Bailey one-on-one. Oh, that'd be good. Yeah. We had like a little feud going on that got short a little bit. So I think we have some unfinished business eventually. So you and Bailey, I like that. Who else?

There's a couple of people. You know, I've never been in the ring with Charlotte Flower, one-on-one. I've never been in the ring with Nia Jaxx one-on-one. Who else? I mean, if we really want to go down like Trish Stratus. Trish Stratus? Lita, I would like love Lita come back. You are younger than Trish Stratus' career. Yeah. Yeah. You weren't born when she debuted. Yeah. No. But I did my history. I know I know about the past. Isn't that wild? Yeah, that is crazy. What was it got you noticed by WWE in the first place? I think they kind of had a radar on me, maybe, from doing stuff at reality of wrestling.

Bookerty has that direct line to WWE. Yeah, but it wasn't like he couldn't necessarily get me into WWW, which a lot of people may think that, but it was like, he was going to have me work for it, just like everybody else has to work for it. So that's what I did. I did reality of wrestling. I became their youngest champion, the youngest diamonds champion. And then I got noticed by Ring of Honor. And I went to Ring of Honor and they had a whole tournament that they did end up doing once COVID kind of died down a little bit. And I did that. And I ended up winning the Ring of Honor women's tournament and becoming the inaugural Ring of Honor Women's Champion.

And I think that that got me more noticed by WWE. And then Ring of Honor went out of business. So I remember getting that call and being like, yeah, sorry. Like you guys are let go. We're letting everybody go early because I think my contract ended in like December or January. And that was in like September, I think. And that was that scary? Was it?

Yeah. What was the emotion? It definitely was scary because, I mean, I was getting paid by them. And then it was like, okay, well, I don't know if WWE has fully seen everything I can do yet. I don't know if they're super interested in me yet. And now it's kind of like, where do I go from here? But I knew that everything would work out regardless. I just had to figure it out.

And I remember the very last taping of Ring of Honor. We were all sitting in one of the rooms watching the monitor. And I got a random call. and I answer it and I just hear it, is this rock? And I was like, I'm sorry? He's like, is this rock? This is William Riggle with the WW. And I was like, oh, yeah, sure, this is rock.

And he's like, oh, you know, we've seen a lot of your work and we would love to have you down here for a tryout. And that was crazy. I literally just started crying immediately because I was like, oh my God, this is the call that I've always dreamt of. And it's on the last taping of Ring of Honor who would have thought, you know, it was like perfect timing. Yeah. Like that is the epitome of one door closing and another one.

Yeah, literally. So yeah, that was that was really cool. And I was like, yes, absolutely. I would be there. I called my mom and she was crying too. She was like, oh my gosh, this is amazing. So yeah. My trial was in December, like two months after that.

there's this common theme that you keep coming back to during this conversation. It's that I knew it would always work out. How do you know it's going to work out? I don't even know. Like, I couldn't tell you what it is. It's just like a little piece of me that just, I don't know if it's, I don't know if it's just pure passion, if that's what it is, that's driving me. But there's just something that always tells me, like,

like you're going to make it happen because, I don't know, because I feel like I'm just. So there's another word for it, but I'm just very determined towards everything that I, that I really, really, really want. And I won't stop until I actually make it happen. It also sounds like you're really disciplined, too. Yeah. So you're determined, but you're also like, all right, so these are the things I need to do

along the way. Like if I want to get to that thing and it's step 14 and I'm at step two, I need to then go three, four, five. I need to find my way there. Yeah. Yeah. And that was the same thing with like last year. Obviously, I wanted to get called up in the draft so bad.

And a barred me thought it would happen. And it didn't. And I was like, oh, like I could have let it just make me, you know, really upset and just kind of not fully give up. But, you know, just make it make me not as driven, you know. But I feel like it made me even more driven because I was like, okay, I'm going to be an extra ring every single day. I'm going to work on my promos. I'm going to become the best heel that I could ever be because people thought that I couldn't be a heel. And a year later, I was called up. Did you think you were ready at that time? Like when I did think I was ready. Yeah. I thought I was

ready as a baby face. But now that I think of it, I feel like I wasn't as ready as I was when they called me. Like, I feel like I could have been ready at any point. I could have gone and and just executed what they wanted me to execute. But I wasn't my full, I wasn't at my full potential, like my full character, like the prodigy character. And it was different being the prodigy as a baby face, you know, calling yourself the prodigy when you're like a good guy. But then calling yourself a prodigy when you're a bad guy is more fun.

Yeah, sure. You get to tell people like, I'm super young and I'm really good. Like, what are you going to do about it? That's the idea of like, I can't remember the exact quote, but like when you're telling other people that you're great? Yeah. There's a whole difference between that and people telling you you're great. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're kind of shoving it down their throats. And look how good I am. Yeah, exactly. So if you have this idea that everything's going to work out and you're saying, I need to main event WrestleMania one day, sounds like it's going to happen one day. I believe so.

I really believe so. I feel like, I don't know, I have a really strong love for. just the storytelling aspect of everything. And I feel like I can get in the ring and I can wrestle, but I can also tell a really good story. So I feel like that helps me a lot because I'm small. And I don't look like everybody else all the time, but I can go in there and I can make you feel something. What's the match that you are so proud of?

Like when someone wants to go, be introduced to your work, what's the match you tell people to go see? I think me versus Lyra of Alcariah when I won the NXC championship for the second time. And what is it about that match? Well, that was the match that I feel like solidified myself as the prodigy. And that I feel like that I proved to myself that like I belong here in the WWE and I'm just as good as everybody else. and I can be at the top and I can hold that position for however long. But also, I love working with Lyra Valkyria.

I think she's like one of the best wrestlers that we have, like men or woman, just the way she moves and like she's so technical and she just, you could just tell that she loves wrestling just by watching her. Yeah. And I think us too in the ring are, our styles mesh really well. And it was just so easy wrestling in there with her. What's been the biggest difference for you between NXT and the main roster? Aside from the obvious one, like travel, what's been the biggest difference?

I think how fast-paced it is and how, you know, you just got to be ready for anything. It's like the day of it could be like, okay, you have three backstages. All of them are going to be live, but you don't even know that until you're back there. And they're like, all right, 10 seconds, we need to go now. And it's like, oh my God, okay. But then at the PC, it's like, wait, we didn't like that take. Let's do it again. Wait, this was wrong.

Let's do it again. Wait, can you be a little bit more upset, you know? And that helps because, you know, you get like the training and you get to like see what works and what doesn't. But then up here, it's like you don't get that second chance. It's like, go out there and do it live. So, yeah. Well, congratulations on everything. Thank you.

Like, what a career so far. and you're just getting started. Yeah, thank you so much. I feel like this is going to be the first of many conversations we have. Yeah, I'd love to come back here. You're welcome anytime. Maybe you'll have some different gold next time I sit down with you. Oh, yeah, I think I will.

So I end every conversation with gratitude because it's such a huge part of my life. I wake up, I say out loud three things I'm grateful for. I do before I go to bed with my wife. What are three things in your life you're grateful for right now? I am, I mean, I'm grateful for a roof over my head and food on my table. I am grateful for this job, you know, this job that I get to travel around the world for and, you know, wrestle for fans, inspire people just the way that I was inspired and just live a life that I always wanted to live when I was younger, you know.

And I'm grateful for my very loving boyfriend and my loving dog at home. What's your dog's name? Wyatt. Wyatt. Yeah, he's the best. He's a little golden retriever. Did you name him after Bray? I did.

Yeah, I did. That's sweet. Yeah, I was a very, very big fan. So, yeah. And yeah, my boyfriend, shout to him. He's doing the whole LFG thing right now. He's on Undertaker's team. So I think he might be able to win it all.

Amazing. Well, again, thank you. Congrats. And I can't wait to see what's next for you. Thank you. Thank you for having me. But there we go. Big thank you to Roxanne for joining us. And thank you for listening and for listening all the way until the very end. If you're on Spotify, leave a comment. Let us know what you thought of this episode or snap a screenshot posted online and tag us. She's at Roxanne underscore WWE. I'm at Chris Van Fleet. I can't wait to see what's next for her. She's only 23 years old. And she's already done so much. It's crazy and it's so impressive. I'll wrap this up with a quote from Winnie the Pooh.

Yes, Winnie the Pooh. I love this quote so much. We didn't realize we were making memories. We just knew we were having fun. Be great and be grateful, my friends. We will see you on the next one for some more insight. We've got Ask CVV number 97 tomorrow to wrap up the week. Jim Rome takes on sports.

Why? Because I have a job to do. 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 but get up in here the jim roams show podcast what should be follow and listen on your favorite platform you've been warned