This current WWE champion reveals WNBA aspirations

Current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Raquel Rodriguez has opened up about her past aspirations to join the WNBA. While Rodriguez is currently one of the most popular names in the pro-wrestling industry, she had also considered a career in basketball before she turned to wrestling.

In the pro-wrestling industry, several current wrestlers have come from diverse and varied sports backgrounds. While WWE currently hires several NIL athletes to its Performance Centers, Rodriguez also comes from a basketball career.

Recently, while speaking to ESPN Houston in a new interview, the current champion opened up about her college basketball career and WNBA dreams. “My dream started when I was probably- the day I was being born, actually, in Houston, Texas, right here in Harris County. My dad went out to go work a wrestling show because my dad also was a wrestler. So him and his tag partner had a show that night; I was actually born here in Houston, Texas.

“This might be a full circle moment for me, guys, the Survivor Series. But I’ve always had the passion and the dream to wrestle. But then, I started to play basketball. I joined the Boys and Girls Club in Harlingen, Texas, and I really fell in love with the sport, and I really fell in love with the fact that it was something that I could use my height to my advantage of, basically,” she added.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I’m tall. I’m going to be good at this,’ and so I just made sure that I kept training. You know, I really wanted to play college basketball. I even had aspirations of being in the WNBA at one point. But college basketball really taught me a lot about being self-sufficient, being responsible for my own actions, for taking care of my body, for taking care of my health,” the 35-year-old finished.

Rodriguez graduated from Hidalgo High School in 2009, where she recorded stats of 2,470 points and 2,018 rebounds. She played college basketball for Texas A&M Kingsville, Sam Houston, and Texas A&M.