After securing the biggest win of her career at NXT Stand & Deliver by recapturing her NXT Women’s Championship versus Lyra Valkyria on WrestleMania Saturday, Roxanne Perez returned to the Wells Fargo Center for a sold-out edition of Monday Night RAW to test her mettle against the woman who won the strap last year in Los Angeles, Indi Hartwell.
Taking the ring in the middle of an absolutely loaded card, Perez made quick work of Hartwell, showing her that the old “Way” of doing things isn’t going to cut under this new title reign via a Pop Rox for the 1-2-3 and a stern talking to from Candice LeRae.
Asked what it was like to work a huge match on RAW in a WWE Digital Exclusive, Perez celebrated the occasion, noting that, frankly, she didn’t expect anything less than a win.
“I feel amazing. Honestly, I don’t really need your congratulations, we all knew that I was going to become two-time NXT Women’s Champion,” Roxanne Perez told Cathy Kelley. “We all knew that I was going to defeat Indi Hartwell, and if everybody else didn’t know, I knew, and that’s all that mattered.”
Asked about her interaction with Natalya backstage after defeating Indi Hartwell on Monday Night RAW, Perez noted that, while she was once a fan of the “BOAT,” she doesn’t need heroes any more.
“Natalya used to be one of my heroes. I met her when I was 13 years old, and I went up to her and asked her for advice, and she was nice enough to give me some, but now I realize I don’t need Natalya,” Perez noted. “I don’t need any of my own heroes, I am my own hero. If Natalya has a problem with that, she can come to my show and say it to my face.”
Since NXT became NXT, Natalya has become a semi-regular measuring stick for the next generation of WWE Superstars, with big matches against Charlotte Flair, Cora Jade, and Lola Vice serving as important moments in each performer’s individual Wrestling journies. Will the same happen for Perez? Well, considering she has some pretty big wins already on her resume, it’s safe to say a future battle would undoubtedly become a notable footnote in one of the most important young careers in the WWE Universe right now.
Booker T is proud to see Roxanne Perez become a two-time Champ.
Speaking of Roxanne Perez’s big win at Stand & Deliver, the “Prodogy’s” initial trainer, current commentator, and certified biggest fan, Booker T, gave his pupil some serious flowers on his Hall of Fame podcast, celebrating her match with Lyra Valkyria and ultimately, her new spot as a two-time NXT Champion.
“Man, what a match. To see Roxanne Perez grow right before my very eyes, mature right before my very eyes, be able to transform as well from babyface to heel, and do it almost effortlessly. It just let me know that all the training, everything that we talked about over the years, as well as we still talk about. We still talk about the training. That’s what’s crazy, is at NXT, she’s still that student who wants to know what she did right or if she did something wrong. What did that promo looks like, how did that promo feel? And I’m like, ‘You’re getting it.’ And now I’m at that point, I gotta say, ‘Man, you got it,'” Booker T explained via EWrestling News.
“That’s what I got to say about Roxanne Perez right now, man, she’s got it. She’s got it all, man. She’s got the full package to be able to perform at the next level. And the thing is, she’s not the biggest person in the ring or anything like that most of the time. But just like Shawn Michaels, she projects herself so much bigger than she actually is through her performance. And I’m like, ‘Man,’ and I can’t take anything away from Lyra Valkyria either. Because I’ve only been watching her for about a year and four months or something like that. And to watch the growth of Lyra Valkyria to now, it’s been unbelievable. When she first came in the door she was a really, really good worker. But it seemed like she’s totally honed it in to where now she’s almost flawless in the middle of the ring, you know. So I give Valkyria big props too, because it takes two to tango. And to be able to pull off a match of that magnitude with two people so young — that’s the thing, both of those guys are so young. And they went out there and had a hell of a match. Big props to Roxanne for becoming a new champion.”
While some were ever so skeptical of using Perez as a heel moving forward, as she’s such a natural babyface, it’s clear her current heel turn has inspired plenty of interest within the WWE Universe, as it compelled Shawn Michaels and company to give her the belt for a second time after a few years down in developmental. Even if she’s 100 percent main roster bound in the not-too-distant future, maybe even as soon as the 2024 WWE Draft, who knows, maybe Perez will be able to add a few more highlights to her resume in NXT before that day eventually comes.
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