Roxanne Perez Reflects On Her Mental Health Struggles

Roxanne Perez recently won the "NXT" Women's Championship by defeating Mandy Rose on the December 13 edition of "NXT." This is Perez's second title within her first year in WWE, as she, alongside former tag team partner Cora Jade, previously won the "NXT" Women's Tag Team Championships. With all that success, comes pressure, and with that pressure, comes the need to keep one's mental health in check. 

"Mental health is also a really big thing, it was like, really important to me and my family because a lot of my, my parents have struggled with it," Perez said while appearing on "WWE After The Bell with Corey Graves." "I've struggled with it, my sister has ... I actually did get into a really big fight with my mom. I kind of left home." Perez continued. "I was like, 'Alright, I'm on my own — This is probably the hardest thing I've had to do in my life,'" Perez said. "I was crying on the couch every night, but the next day going to Booker [T]'s training." Despite the arguments between them, however, Perez said that she and her mom has become her "rock."

Perez then elaborated on her experiences with her mental health and discussed how she's managed to cope with her struggles. "I struggle with anxiety like, almost on a daily basis," Perez said. "I've struggled with depression before and the cool thing about it, my family has always been very open about, you know, going to therapy and just talking about their feelings."

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.