"I always wanted to get into pro wrestling" - Raquel Rodriguez on following in her father's footsteps
It was always Raquel Rodriguez's mission to get into professional wrestling, and that goal led her to WWE.
Raquel Rodriguez (formerly known as Raquel Gonzalez) signed with WWE back in 2016. She made her WWE NXT debut the following year in May 2017. During her time in the black and gold brand, she captured both the NXT Women's Championship and the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship.
The SmackDown Superstar was a recent guest on The Zaslow Show to discuss a wide variety of subjects. When asked about becoming a professional wrestler, Rodriguez revealed that she wanted to get into the industry since she was little because of her father, Rick Gonzalez, who worked for WWE when she was a child.
“I always wanted to get into pro wrestling ever since I was a little girl and watching my dad do it,” Raquel Rodriguez said. “When I graduated college I told myself I can continue to play basketball, continue trying to be on some traveling leagues, or go play overseas, or I can continue with my degree which was in broadcast journalism. Part of me was like, if I’m going to to try and become a WWE superstar, this is my moment and my time…I loved going to the shows and watching all the hard work my dad and his friends would put into the craft…I didn’t see too many women, but I saw some very strong men. My dad is such a great role model.”
Today on the “Zaslow Show”: #WWE Superstar @RaquelWWE joined us……
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Raquel Rodriguez on her dad being protective of WWE secrets
While Raquel Rodriguez knows the ins and outs of the wrestling industry today, when she was a child, her father was very protective of the secrets of WWE, and she went on to talk about a few of those examples.
“[My dad] was very protective of [WWE secrets] with me and my sister, especially because we were always on the road with him and what not, so he would never let us into the locker room,” Raquel Rodriguez said. “He didn’t want us to see what would go on behind the scenes. We would go to training with him, and roll around a little bit in the ring, but he wouldn’t tell us much more than that. He was even like, ‘if you’re out there, don’t call me dad. If you’re going to cheer for me, you call me Desperado, you don’t call me dad.'” [H/T: 411Mania]
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The former NXT Women's Champion has impressed many members of the WWE Universe during her short time on the SmackDown roster. Rodriguez's match with Ronda Rousey on SmackDown opened a lot of eyes as to the potential she has as the main event player for WWE in the years to come.