Raquel Gonzalez debuts on SmackDown with a big name change; Rejects two male superstars
Raquel Gonzalez is officially a SmackDown Superstar after rumors ran rampant that the former NXT Women's Champion would be making her debut. However, she is yet another superstar who has had her name changed, and she also rejected the advances of two male superstars on her first day on the main roster.
Raquel was the last NXT Women's Champion of the black-and-gold era as Mandy Rose's victory over her ushered in the 2.0. The former still had a presence on NXT 2.0 and it was only this past WrestleMania weekend when she won the Women's Tag Team Championship alongside Dakota Kai. However, in an immediate rematch days later, Toxic Attraction's Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin beat them to regain the titles.
On the latest episode of SmackDown, Raquel Gonzalez was announced as the latest addition to the women's roster. However, she will now be going by Raquel "Rodriguez" and not Gonzalez. She came face-to-face with Los Lotharios members Angel and Humberto, who seemed to be making an advance toward her.
She rejected them and asked Kayla Braxton if they were always that annoying, to which the latter gestured affirmatively.
Welcome to #SmackDown, Raquel Rodriguez!
@RaquelWWE https://t.co/d1tSdLKhan
What was the reason for Raquel Gonzalez's name change?
Like most other name changes, this one was likely done for trademark reasons. However, this is far from the most controversial name change on SmackDown.
The episode of SmackDown saw Marcel Barthel debut as Ludwig Kaiser, while GUNTHER (fka WALTER) also made his debut on the blue brand in a squash match.
@RaquelWWE @AngelGarzaWwe and @humberto_wwe
💕💕 #SmackDown https://t.co/VvsOvXfGSy
It will be interesting to see how Raquel Rodriguez is handled on the blue brand. She could be a valuable addition when the division needs new faces.
Will Raquel Rodriguez become the SmackDown Women's Champion in the future? Sound off in the comments below.