WWE Superstar Roxanne Perez recently appeared as a guest on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet". The 20-year-old spoke on a variety of topics, including being a part of Judgment Day, whom she looks up to for her heel work, interactions with her heroes like Alexa Bliss and CM Punk, and the comparison between NXT and WWE.
Roxanne Perez praised the work of Judgment Day, noting that they have been able to achieve a lot in a short amount of time and always seem to have gold around their waists.
"I think it's the perfect way for me to come into the main roster," Roxanne said. "Especially with their history, and it's one of the biggest factions in WWE history. They've been able to do so much in such a short amount of time, and they always seem to have gold. It just feels like when you get in with a group that is so over, it immediately makes you over too. There are a lot of people that love me right now. There are a lot of people that hate my guts because of what's happening right now. Any reaction is a good reaction. I like that people enjoy me being a part of Judgment Day, and I think I kind of fit right in. I feel pretty comfortable there, and everybody's awesome. It feels like what I'm doing right now with Raquel, it clicks."
After being a babyface during her NXT Championship run, Roxanne became a heel after transitioning to the main roster. When asked whom she takes inspiration from for her heel work, Roxanne listed Eddie Guerrero, CM Punk, AJ Lee, and Alexa Bliss.
"Eddie Guerrero is probably my top one that I always watch," Roxanne elaborated. "Just his mannerisms and the way he wrestled, and even in his entrance, he does a lot with his face. CM Punk was one of my favorite heels growing up. There's also AJ Lee and Alexa Bliss's 'Goddess' era. Those are my top four inspirations."
Getting the chance to square off against Alexa Bliss was a dream come true for Roxanne, as she grew up idolizing her.
"Now I get to kick her butt and keep my championship against her," she further added. "But what a full-circle moment. From watching her as a kid and being inspired by her to then standing in the ring across from her. I feel like I have so many 'pinch me' moments here in WWE. Before, I was just very starstruck when I first got here, and I was just like, 'Oh my God, this is crazy.' And I still feel that way, but now it's more of, 'Yeah, I belong here. This is how it was supposed to happen. This is everything that I ever worked for.'"
Roxanne Perez is one of the youngest WWE Superstars in the current locker room and one of the very few to be born after 2000. The 23-year-old informed veteran CM Punk that she grew up watching him, and he seemed to be cool about it.
"I think the first thing I told him was, 'I love your wife. I love her so much,'" Roxanne said. "He's like, 'I get that all the time.' Those were probably his exact words. Punk has been super awesome, too, and given me so much advice. When I was in NXT, he was always there showing up. Even when he had a pay-per-view that night, he would show up and watch our matches earlier in the day and then go to his match, which he didn't have to do. He just wants to help the younger generation. He just seems like he loves wrestling."
Roxanne Perez listed her match with Lyra Valkyria at NXT Stand & Deliver for the NXT Women's Title as the one she is most proud of. In a back-and-forth match that saw both wrestlers having momentum on their side, Valkyria submitted to Roxanne's Crippler Crossface in the end.
"That was the match that felt like it solidified me as the prodigy," she elucidated. "And I feel like I proved that I belong here in WWE, that I'm just as good as everybody else, and I can be at the top and hold that position for however long. But I also love working with Lyra Valkyria. I think she's one of the best wrestlers that we have, men or women. Just the way she moves and how technical she is—you can just tell that she loves wrestling by watching her. And I think our styles mesh really well, and it was just so easy wrestling with her."
When asked about the difference between NXT and the main roster, Roxanne replied, "I think it's how fast-paced it is and how you just have to be ready for anything. You have three backstage segments. All of them are going to be live, but you don't even know that until you're back there and they're like, 'All right, 10 seconds, we need to go now.' And it's like, 'Oh my god, okay.' But then at the PC, it's like, 'Wait, we didn't like that take. Let's do it again.' 'Wait, this was wrong. Let's do it again.' 'Wait, can you be a little bit more upset?' And that helps because you get the training and you get to see what works and what doesn't. But up here, you don't get that second chance. It's like going out there and doing it live."
Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez recently lost their WWE Women's Tag Team Championships to the team of Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair. "The Prodigy" continues to be a part of the Judgment Day, and it will be interesting to see what the path forward is for her.
