Roxanne Perez living up to 'The Prodigy' nickname heading into WWE Money in the Bank
Roxanne Perez living up to 'The Prodigy' nickname heading into WWE Money in the Bank
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John Cena warns media, he will ruin wrestling, he is the last real champion in WWE
After making history at WrestleMania 41, John Cena warns the media that he will ruin wrestling and he is the last real champion in WWE
One way to identify who are the top wrestlers is by who has a nickname. More often than not, those with a tag are some of the greats.
There's 'The Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels. 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair. 'The Tribal Chief' Roman Reigns. 'The Viper' Randy Orton. 'The Man' Becky Lynch. 'The Champ' John Cena. The list goes on and on.
What do they all have in common? All the aforementioned stars earned their names during their career. It took championship reigns, iconic matches and memorable moments while earning the crowd's praise for them to be bestowed the honor.
Then there's Roxanne Perez.
From the moment she signed with WWE at age 20, Perez has been dubbed 'The Prodigy.' Meaning a highly talented youth, the nickname set incredible expectations for her. How can you be named 'The Prodigy' and not become an instant success? The bar was set incredibly high for the woman standing at 5-foot tall.
So far, Perez has soared above every benchmark set on her. She won the NXT Women's Championship in her first year with the company in 2022, and became the third-ever two-time title holder last year while becoming the face of the women's developmental division.
Success at NXT set the foundation, but the real test was going to be whether Perez could continue rolling on the main roster. Like a baseball player, you can be great in the minors, but your legacy ultimately lies in the major leagues.
It's a small sample size, but the early returns show 'The Prodigy' really is the perfect nickname. She had a record setting day at the Royal Rumble in February and was in Elimination Chamber one month later. Now officially called-up, she'll have her third main roster premium live event of 2025 in the women's Money in the Bank match.
Not bad for being the youngest star on the main roster at 23 years old.
''The Prodigy' is not just a nickname; it's something that I've created myself into through hard work,' Perez told USA TODAY Sports. 'The main roster officially knows that Roxanne Perez, 'The Prodigy,' is here, and she's here to stay, and she's here to make waves.'
Roxanne Perez's building confidence
The Perez appearing on Monday Night Raw isn't the same one that showed up on NXT three years ago. Gone is that bubbly, innocent new kid on the block who captured fans' hearts. Now is a more blunt, unapologetically vicious star who doesn't care 'what everybody says,' as she puts it.
It's a side of Perez that oozes with swagger, but it took time to develop what shows up on screen.
Perez said she's glad she spent three years in NXT rather than jumping on the main roster early. In the developmental stage, she believes she really got to work on what she wanted to portray. It's a complete contrast to what helped her establish a spot in the company, but Perez noted she 'evolved into who I was really meant to be.'
Showing a successful darker side of herself proved to management she was ready for the call-up. She had developed something that clicked. However, with that came the next challenge: keeping the confidence off-screen.
One could argue no one on the roster was as big of a WWE fan as a kid than Perez. It was around age 8 the Laredo, Texas native knew she wanted to be a wrestler. Some wrestlers from that time like CM Punk and Natalya − who she famously got to talk to on "Total Divas" − are still on the roster, and Perez was able to look up to the leaders of the women's revolution as she started getting in the ring.
Those same people she admired are now coworkers, and Perez admitted that has led to some bits of imposter syndrome. There were doubts she belonged alongside decorated stars – even as she started racking up her own accolades – and plenty of training was needed to overcome the feeling.
'To have the name prodigy on my back, it was definitely kind of hard mentally because it was like, well, am I 'The Prodigy' when I'm surrounded by all of these people?' she said. 'I really had to kind of find that confidence in me and realize, no, yeah, I am. Just because I'm surrounded by these people that I've watched growing up doesn't mean that I can't be on the same level as them.
'I really had to start training myself to be like, 'you belong here.' And now I feel like everybody knows that I do belong here.'
The work Perez has put into her confidence has carried over into the ring. Whether it's shunning away the cheers or scheming menacing methods of victory, Perez has found the right persona for her, and she's still crafting it. She still views every time she appears as an audition, and even for someone on a meteoric rise like her, it feels like the correct approach for a young star.
While she's had the opportunity to get her feet wet in the main roster, Perez is in the most delicate stage one could be on in WWE. Success in NXT doesn't mean it carries over onto the main roster. For every star that stays hot, there's another that didn't pan out. It leads to limited opportunities, being forgotten and the eventual release from the company.
Perez said she could've been someone that flamed out following her time with NXT, but its the consistent effort being put in that has led to the solid start and building a foundation for it to last.
'I'm trying to prove myself every single night,' she said. 'You can't get comfortable, ever.'
Joining the Judgment Day, ready for Money in the Bank
The Royal Rumble match was nothing new for Perez after appearances in 2023 and 2024, but it was the 2025 edition that gave a peek of the leap she was bound to take. She was entrant No. 3 and lasted a women's record one hour, seven minutes and 47 seconds, finishing runner-up to Charlotte Flair.
It was a monumental moment to put the young star in, and she nearly clinched a WrestleMania match when she competed in the women's Elimination Chamber in March. Even though neither match resulted in victory, it was clear Perez was ready for the big stage, officially joining Raw on May 19.
The move to Raw has also led Perez into an intriguing storyline. With assistance from Finn Balor, she has tried to make her way into The Judgment Day, a move she believes will really help further her career. There's been pushback from Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez as Perez is trying to get in the good graces of the group by helping out in matches and offering gifts.
'I think it's going well, I don't know if you'd say the same,' she said. 'Some of them are kind of enjoying my time there. Some are not, but that's OK.'
One notable moment happened when Perez gifted Dominik Mysterio his beloved chicken nuggets. Fans instantly believed it would lead to her becoming the new on-screen lover for the Intercontinental Champion, therefore leading to heat with his current beloved in Morgan.
Regardless of where it leads, it feels like there's just something about Mysterio that makes women swoon. But when asked about what makes Mysterio such a hot commodity, Perez didn't understand what the fuss was about.
'No one says I folded or that I'm in love with him,' she said. 'I don't know who says I find him intriguing in that way. I'm just trying to be in everybody's good graces.
'I think everybody just needs to see how it unfolds.'
While she works into the group, Perez will get another massive opportunity with the women's Money in the Bank match on June 7. Win and she gets a championship match at any moment in the next year.
It's always been a dream for Perez to compete in Money in the Bank, and she's hoping to make memories during the match where she becomes forever linked with the 2025 show. She also may have given a hint at what she would do if she wins; she said her favorite moments are when the briefcase is cashed in on the same night. So Iyo Sky or Tiffany Stratton aren't safe at all if it's "Rox in the Bank."
The PLE win would result in someone that will 'make a change in the woman's division in so many good ways,' Perez said. It could further launch her way toward the top of the roster, and cement 'The Prodigy' wasn't just a nickname for Perez; it was her destiny.
'Everything is going exactly the way that I wanted it to, in the way I manifested it to, and the way I just worked hard for it too,' she said.
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