Shawn Michaels personally called a female star to bring her to WWE; made an irresistible offer- Reports
According to the latest details, former WWE World Champion Shawn Michaels played a key role in the promotion's latest talent acquisition. The Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative allegedly called Stephanie Vaquer to convince her to join the company.
WWE hyped the arrival of Vaquer over the weekend, introducing her as the newest signing during the live events in Mexico. The former NJPW Strong Women's Champion wrestled against Isla Dawn in Mexico City and Monterrey, coming out victorious both times.
Sports reporter and Las Vegas Raiders' radio announcer Harry Ruiz recently shared some details about how Vaquer ended up signing with the Sports Entertainment juggernaut during an appearance on Konnan's Keepin' It 100 podcast. Ruiz claimed that the former CMLL star had allegedly returned to Mexico to sign a deal with AEW.
However, the Stamford-based promotion became aware of the deal, and The Heartbreak Kid allegedly personally called Stephanie to lay out WWE's plans for her and an irresistible monetary offer.
"I'll just say it. Shawn Michaels called her [Stephanie Vaquer] personally. Instead of having somebody call her, Shawn Michaels called her and then ended up laying out a plan for what they were going to do with her and then a good monetary offer as well. So she ended up accepting WWE because they had the money; they had the creative, and it made more sense for her, even if this means that she doesn't get to work with New Japan and CMLL no more," Ruiz said. [H/T: Cageside Seats]
In addition to getting an amazing offer from WWE, Harry Ruiz added that Stephanie Vaquer's experience with AEW logistics played a part in her decision. Ruiz revealed that the 31-year-old wasn't picked up by anybody at the airport before Forbidden Door 2024 and had to find her way to the UBS Arena in New York.
Shawn Michaels is adding depth to the NXT Women's Division
Shawn Michaels has been in charge of NXT since September 2021 and has done a great job building the brand. HBK already has a stacked women's division, but it seems like he wants to add more talent.
Stephanie Vaquer has been confirmed as a new signing and will perform on the developmental brand, while Giulia has long been rumored to be joining the NXT once her commitments with Marigold end. The company has also reportedly signed Australian star Delta, according to TheSportster.
It will be interesting to see how the NXT Women's Division shapes up in the coming days.