The WWE Performance Center has been responsible for cultivating Superstars of tomorrow for years. Few have garnered attention from fans, and CM Punk, as Roxanne Perez has during the short time she’s been in the spotlight.
Shawn Michaels is WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, so his words carry a fair amount of weight at this point. He has identified a top NXT star who could thrive on the main roster, as so many talented individuals in the brand are trying to grab that brass ring.
With several debuts and returns in the women’s division, many fans believe Roxanne Perez’s NXT Women’s Championship reign may be coming to an end. That hasn’t happened yet, but she may already be prepared to break the main roster wide open.
During an appearance on Busted Open, Shawn Michaels expressed his belief that Perez now possesses the confidence needed to succeed, especially after her recent stories where she has been able to come into her own as an arrogant heel.
“I think she can. I will say this, I agree with you guys. It was probably two or three months ago and I think Mark (Henry) and Bully (Ray), you guys know, at a point in your career, there’s one of those times you’re out there, you have a match and sort of that lightbulb goes on and everything begins to make a little bit more sense, and that enables you to then begin to carry yourself with a confidence and a comfortability that she didn’t have before.”
HBK continued to say, “Roxanne had that match — for me, that turning point was against Chase U. and I think she had that opportunity out there and she just sort of stepped into her own as the champion.” He then added, “Now look, I think any time you go to the main roster, much like you’re talking about with Giulia, it’s an entirely different world. It’s a big move. Now how you deal with that move I think determines how well you do.”
Shawn Michaels also emphasized the importance of confidence, and Roxanne Perez has that in droves. She is more than comfortable with her in-ring persona as well, which is a huge learning curve she has already mastered.
“Whether she steps into that with the confidence and the aggression and just the comfortability that she has right now, and she does that on the main roster, you bet I think she can be successful. As you guys know, a lot of it is how you yourself carry yourself when you’re in those environments.”
Roxanne Perez retained her NXT Women’s Championship against Giulia during the October 1 WWE NXT CW premiere. During that match, Cora Jade returned and helped Perez retain her title over the NXT newcomer.
We will have to see what the future holds for Roxanne Perez, but they call her the Prodigy for a reason. She achieved a lot at a young age, as she broke into the business thanks to her fearless desire to spend as much time in the ring as she could. At 22-years-old, Perez is certainly in a great position to do big things.
