WWE SmackDown star Raquel Rodriguez appeared on “Out of Character with Ryan Satin” to talk about her move from NXT to the main roster, her name change, her finishing move, and other topics.
Raquel was asked how much of her true self is in her wrestling character:
“Right now, there’s a really good amount of my real true self. I know a lot of people have said that they liked the Raquel from NXT. I was always serious and didn’t smile. I think I’ve only told the story once, but when I first started at the Performance Center, they could not get me to stop smiling. I’m supposed to be this big and tall and intimidating character, and that was my biggest struggle really was trying to stay serious when you’re just having fun. I’m out there. I’m doing something I love. I’m having fun doing it. I’m doing it with my friends. Why wouldn’t you want to smile?”
On changing from being a heel in NXT to a babyface on SmackDown:
“When I came up, I didn’t really know exactly what role I was going to be put into. I didn’t know if they wanted me to be a heel or if they wanted me to be a babyface. But I was ready for whichever direction that was going to go. I told myself, ‘I’m going to go and I’m going to be over the top about it.’ I am going to give 120%. If it’s too much, then they can just tell me it’s too much and I can reel it back in a little bit. But I have been waiting for this opportunity for so long. I’ve been working my butt off for this opportunity that I didn’t want to just go in and feel like I was stuck to one certain way or one certain character or one certain personality. I wanted to be a chameleon and I wanted to show them that I am a chameleon, I can do multiple things, I have multiple talents, and I have different things in my back pocket that not everyone has seen yet. Now’s the chance to present that because they know what I can do as a heel. That’s what I was in NXT. They know what I can do as a serious person. I think this was my opportunity to show them the contrary of that and show them that I can do this as well.”
On what coaches helped her the most at The Performance Center:
“I was very fortunate enough to work with pretty much all of the coaches at NXT. I started off in Robbie Brookside’s class. I feel like in his class, he really helped bring out the angry side, the vicious side, and the very competitive side in me. Then I also got to work with Norman Smiley. Norman Smiley is so knowledgeable in the way he moves and the way he communicates. He really showed me patience in the ring, timing, communicating, and presentation. I got to work with Scotty 2 Hotty. Scotty is a huge entertainer. He really brought out something in both Rhea and I. He brought something out in us that we were missing and that was the entertainment part. He helped us with our movement in the ring, the aspects of our characters, and stuff like that. It was really, really insightful to be in his classes and to be able to work with him and with some of the other athletes that were in there as well. With Sara Amato, I got to learn so much from her style and what it is to be a woman in the wrestling business right now, respecting that, honoring that, and staying true to that. Then I got to work with Coach Bloom a little bit as well. Right now, I’m actually getting to work with Terry Taylor. That man on his own has a different side of the business and knowledge compared to anyone else. So I feel like I can’t just pinpoint one coach at NXT. They’ve helped me so much with my character, my confidence, and my career. I really wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for getting to be in each and every single one of those classes and pick all of those brains. I feel like having that blessing of getting to learn from all of them really made me into the performer and the athlete that I am today. I think it helped me for all of the pressure that I was getting ready to step into. So I’m very grateful for all of the knowledge that I got at the PC and still am getting.”
On if she cared about having her name changed when she got brought up to SmackDown:
“I wanted to keep Gonzalez because it represented me. It represents my legacy because it’s my real last name. It’s the name that my dad used while he was wrestling throughout his entire career as well. But I wasn’t upset about it. I’m glad that they still gave me something Hispanic, Rodriguez.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit “Out of Character with Ryan Satin” with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
