(NEXSTAR) — At just 22 years old, Texas native Roxanne Perez is already making a name for herself as one of WWE NXT’s brightest stars. As the reigning WWE NXT Women’s Champion, Perez has turned a childhood dream into reality.
“I started watching wrestling when I was 10 years old, so this is a lifelong dream of mine,” Perez said. “I always knew I wanted to be a WWE superstar, and I was going to do anything I could to get there.”
Growing up, Perez admired WWE legends like Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, The Rock, CM Punk, and Randy Orton. CM Punk, in particular, has become a significant influence in her career, mentoring her through her rise in NXT.
“It’s meant so much to me, especially because I grew up idolizing him,” Perez said. “Now that I get to be under his learning tree, it’s really cool. He’s so awesome. He stops by our NXT pay-per-views, watches every match from start to finish, and gives us feedback and advice. It’s something he doesn’t have to do, and I think that’s really cool.”
NXT started as a way to feature up-and-coming wrestlers that WWE hoped would be its future WrestleMania superstars. Paul “Triple H” Levesque, the current WWE chief content officer, launched NXT in 2012 as a training center to give its athletes real-world reps and gain experience.
Perez is now a feature performer on the program and remains focused on defending her title during this week’s WWE NXT debut on CW Network and continuing to prove herself in the ring.
“I want to keep putting on the best matches I can as long as I’m holding this baby,” she said, referring to her championship belt. “Gulia wants to come from across the world and jump in line to take my championship, but it’s not going to happen. She may be the best women’s wrestler in Japan, but I’m the best women’s wrestler in the world.”
The show kicks off at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on October 1st.