When she was recruited by Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, Shawn Michaels to join WWE Stephanie Vaquer says she was given the choice of joining the main roster or starting in NXT. The decision was up to her.
“When they first called me said NXT or main roster, I said main roster,” Vaquer told Busted Open radio host, Bully Ray.
Vaquer then she thought things over.
“I thought…Take it easy. I need to learn English…I changed to NXT,” said Vaquer in her first English language interview.
Michaels’ call stunned Vaquer as she grew up watching him on television in her native Chile and then when she moved to Mexico at 19-years-old. When he called Vaquer couldn’t speak English fluently. Knowing she understood the language but just couldn’t speak it well he slowed down to explain things to her better.
“I didn’t understand 100 percent but maybe 90 percent? He was so sweet. He talked slow and explained things to me,” she said of the call.
When asked why she chose NXT over AEW, she said: “My dream. WWE is my dream…WWE is for me….I take (chose) NXT because I like to do new things but good. I don’t like the fast. That’s no good. I needed to learn English. I needed to learn TV. I needed to learn American style, WWE style.”
Vaquer told Ray the money doesn’t mean that much to her. Wrestling is her passion and she wants to be proud of her work. In the past, she didn’t even have enough money to eat properly but she made that sacrifice to wrestle.
About her upcoming match at NXT Roadblock against her best friend in and out of the ring, the NXT Women’s Champion Giulia, Vaquer pointed out that their styles are similar and that she is prepared to do what she had to do to win.
“After the match I still want to be best friends but if she wants to fight I am ready!” she told Ray.
Vaquer last faced Giulia during Stardom’s Cinderella Tournament last March and defeated her for the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship.
Both Vaquer’s NXT Women’s North American Championship and Giulia’s NXT Women’s Championship will be on the line at Roadblock next Tuesday in the ‘Winner Takes All’ match.
Other matches on the card include:
- Oba Femi (c) vs. Moose – NXT Championship Match
- The Hardy Boyz (c) vs. Nathan Frazer and Axiom – TNA World Tag Team Championship Match
- Je’Von Evans vs. Ethan Page – New York Street Fight
- Jordynne Grace vs. Roxanne Perez
