Roxanne Perez talks WWE main roster potential, NXT run, more

[Chris]

The Future Of WWE Is Now As Roxanne Perez Could Bid NXT Farewell At Vengeance Day [Exclusive]

It's not good-bye, but perhaps it is a good-bye for now. Roxanne Perez will walk into the CareFirst Arena in Washington D.C. tonight with a chance to become th

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It's not good-bye, but perhaps it is a good-bye for now.

Roxanne Perez will walk into the CareFirst Arena in Washington D.C. tonight with a chance to become the first ever three-time NXT Women's Champion. It'll be a tall task as Rox faces off against her 'best friend' Cora Jade, her idol Bayley and the reigning title holder Giulia in a Fatal 4-Way at NXT Vengeance Day.

Only two other women, Charlotte Flair and Shayna Baszler, have held the gold more than once throughout its 12-year history, which already places Perez in rarefied air. If there was ever going to be a talent that finally ascended to heights never even reached by the very best that NXT has produced over the years, it would be The Prodigy.

Roxanne Perez is no stranger to leaving her mark in the NXT record book as she's already the youngest title holder (NXT Women's Tag Team Titles with Cora Jade) in brand history, the first ever Women's Breakout Tournament winner, and the first Women's Iron Survivor.

Perez hasn't even officially been added to the main roster and she already put the Raw and SmackDown Women's Divisions on notice with her record-setting performance in the Women's Royal Rumble earlier this month. There's no denying the statement that was made that night in Indianapolis.

“Not just for me, but I think for NXT as a whole," Perez told The Takedown on SI. "We talk about how NXT is the future, but I think we have the best women's division in the world. I think we're proving that we aren't the future, we're the now.”

WWE made room in this year's annual 30-woman over-the-top-rope challenge for five NXT standouts to showcase their abilities, and each one of them delivered. Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, Jaida Parker and Lash Legend each stepped up to shine a major spotlight on the wealth of future stars currently at Shawn Michaels' disposal in NXT.

The embarrassment of riches is something even Perez, who seamlessly transitioned into her confident heel persona at one point during our conversation, could turn a blind eye toward.

“I may have said that NXT is gonna go downhill after me, but I will say they got Cora, they got Giulia, they got Stephanie and so many other girls, Kalani Jordan, Jaida. I could go on and on. They live up to the hype, for sure.”

No woman's talents however, belonging to the main roster or otherwise, were on display in the Royal Rumble longer this year than Roxanne Perez. She entered the match from the No. 3 position and fought off former Women's Champions, WrestleMania main eventers, WWE Hall of Famers, and more for over one hour and seven minutes.

She set the all-time record for most time spent in a Women's Royal Rumble, besting Bayley's record that was set just the year before.

After two much shorter appearances in the 2023 and 2024 Women's Royal Rumble Matches, an accumulative time of 13 minutes and three seconds, Perez was tasked with the responsibility of being one of the match's anchors this year and navigating the sea chaos to a 2nd place finish.

Daunting? Yes, but nothing Perez couldn't handle. The only question for Roxanne heading into Indianapolis is whether or not she'd be awarded that kind of opportunity.

“When I first signed my contract, I wasn't sure if [management] would see it in me right away, and Shawn Michaels did. Then it was a matter of will the main roster see me in the same light that Shawn Michaels did?

The answer was clearly yes.

Any casual viewer of WWE can tell it's not going to be much longer before Perez is on Raw or SmackDown full-time.

The integration process began weeks ago when she entered into a program with Bayley. A manifestation of both women who have openly expressed their desire to work together for years, in the public eye and behind the scenes.

“Bayley is one of the greatest people I've ever met," Perez said. "She's so giving, she cares about the future and it's really cool that I'm getting to work with her now, but I gotta prove to her that The Prodigy is a little better.”

If kick-starting a rivalry with a member of the vaunted Four Horsewomen during WrestleMania season wasn't a clear enough indication of where Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque believes Perez is at in her career, then her being seconds away from becoming the first NXT Superstar to win the Women's Royal Rumble should be.

“Being the last two with Charlotte Flair, I think it really solidified The Prodigy on the main roster. And I have more motivation than ever. I am so excited to make my mark up there, and I can't wait to see what happens.”

First things first. Making her dreams on the main roster a reality means bidding adieu to a place that she's called home since she was practically a teenager.

A loss tonight at Vengeance Day most likely marks the end of what's been a highly successful NXT tenure for Roxanne Perez. She'll walk down the ramp at the CareFirst Arena tonight like a proud college graduate ready to pick up their degree. Graduation day has arrived.

“It’s definitely a mix of emotions," Perez said. “It's really cool to just be able to look at all these moments [I've had] and for Shawn Michaels to have had so much trust in me and belief in me, and root for me the whole way. It makes me a little sad that it maybe could be over, but of course I'll be back.”

Three years ago Roxanne Perez stepped into the WWE Performance Center in Orlando as a talented and already accomplished performer. A little rough around the edges? Sure. Even a 20-year prodigy isn't perfect, but her now refined in-ring skill set and deeper knowledge of nuanced character work has her set up to make a major impact on the main roster in short order.

Which ever brand is lucky enough to land Perez, the evidence points to Raw, will have been awarded the services of an absolute gem.

At just 23-years-old, and already with 10 years of wrestling experience under her belt, Roxanne Perez is a talent far beyond her years with everything she's ever dreamed of achieving within reach.

First it's tonight's NXT Woman's Championship match, and then an Elimination Chamber qualifier Monday on RAW with potential trips to Toronto and Las Vegas just weeks away. But who's to say she can't have it all? She is a prodigy.

“It's the most exciting time of my life right now," Perez said. “I'm the most focused that I've ever been in my career. I've said it before. I am going to take back my NXT Women's Championship and then I'm gonna walk into RAW, with my title and I'm gonna beat Raquel [Rodriquez], and then I'm gonna go to the Elimination Chamber and I'm gonna win that. And I'm gonna go to WrestleMania.”

Watch out main roster. The future is now as Roxanne Perez has arrived. Whether you're ready or not.