Roxanne Perez Gives First Comments Since WWE NXT Women's Title Win
Roxanne Perez gave an emotional first interview since defeating Mandy Rose to become "WWE NXT" Women's Champion, declaring her victory as the culmination of a six-year odyssey while encouraging young girls to follow her lead in the pursuit of a career goal. In a backstage interview, Perez noted a tattoo on her wrist of the year 2016, which she stated was when she began wrestling.
"I was 14 years old," she said, noting that at the time she vowed "I'm going do everything I can to make sure that I get to the WWE. No matter what it takes, I'm going to get there. And my whole life revolved around wrestling up until now." The 21-year-old Perez won the inaugural Women's Iron Survivor Challenge during last Saturday's "NXT" Deadline premium live event, which enabled her to challenge for the "NXT" Women's Championship at New Year's Evil on January 10. But "The Prodigy" decided to cash in her opportunity on the December 13 edition of "NXT," ending Rose's 413-day championship reign. She's since shared a photo on Twitter of her and her dog snuggling with the gold.
My heart is so full 🖤 #AndNew pic.twitter.com/m0A9WOKkcu
— roxanne (@roxanne_wwe) December 14, 2022
Perez, who signed with WWE in March, is no stranger to winning titles — she became the inaugural Ring of Honor Women's Champion last year and is a former "NXT" Women's Tag Team Champion with Cora Jade. With her latest victory, Perez framed her accomplishment as an inspiration for young female fans to pursue their dreams. "This is proof to every little girl out there that no matter what you tell yourself, no matter what doubts there are in your mind, it can happen," she said. "You can become the "NXT" Women's Champion." Things aren't as happy for former champion Rose, who was suddenly released by WWE on Wednesday.