
WWE NXT star Roxanne Perez dishes on CM Punk's mentorship since his return
Aside from an untimely triceps injury that put him on the shelf for several months, Punk's impact on the next crop of talent has been palpable.
WWE NXT star Roxanne Perez posted several photos of herself with Punk as she's sought the superstar's mentorship since he returned. She told Fox News Digital about what it's like having him.
"It's awesome. The 'Best in the World' isn't just a moniker. He is one of the best in the world," she said. "So, to have him as a mentor and to have there at NXT, it's cool. And he doesn't have to do that. He doesn't have to fly himself out and come watch our matches, and he's standing there in (Gorilla Position) every single time a match ends, and he's there telling them feedback.
"It's just great. It's great having him there."
Punk showed up on NXT's show in September, and Perez, when she was still the NXT women's champion, had a chance to drop her own "pipe bomb" on him.
"That was awesome," she said. "I think that's another thing that definitely solidified me as what I say I am. I was able to step in with the best in the world, one of the best promos in the world, and I got him a little silent, I think."
Perez will be looking to become a three-time NXT women's champion at Vengeance Day. She will be in a fatal four-way match against defending champion Giulia, Bayley and Cora Jade.
Vengeance Day begins at 6 p.m. ET in Washington, D.C.
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former Olympic champion Gable Steveson to make MMA debut at LFA 217
It's been talked about for so long, and now Gable Steveson's venture into mixed martial arts is officially happening. Steveson (0-0), a 2020 Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, will make his MMA debut against Braden Peterson (1-0) at LFA 217 on Sept. 12 from Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, Minn. The promotion announced the news Tuesday in a press release. Steveson's debut is a long time coming as the possibility of trying his hand at MMA has been discussed since winning his gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics (delayed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Instead of jumping straight into MMA, Steveson went the pro wrestling route and signed with WWE. His more than two-year stint with WWE ended in May 2024. Upon his release from WWE, Steveson, who'd never played football, was invited for an NFL tryout with the Buffalo Bills. Steveson got far into 2024 training camp but was cut as the team trimmed down to a final 53-man roster. Since then, Steveson has ramped up his MMA training. He spent time at Kill Cliff FC in Florida before he was invited by Jon Jones to help prepare the then-heavyweight champion for his title fight against Stipe Miocic last November at UFC 309. Steveson, 25, returned to compete in collegiate wrestling this year for the University of Minnesota. The two-time national champion, who'd won 73 consecutive matches, was denied a third title after he was shockingly upset on a last-second takedown by Oklahoma State's Wyatt Hendrickson. During a March appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" shortly after the loss, Steveson indicated a move to MMA was in his near future. He credited Jones for being a "great mentor" to him. "I've got a great mentor right now, I hope a lot of people know a guy named Jon Jones – just a fantastic dude and the greatest fighter of all time. He's pretty damn good," Steveson said. 'I appreciate his efforts of trying to lead me into the right direction and kind of taking my back and giving me the direction that I need. I'm really young, and he's been there and done that before, so I'm really appreciative of how he's kind of walked my steps leading into this next chapter, if that's what it is.' This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Former Olympic champ Gable Steveson books MMA debut

USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Former Olympic champion Gable Steveson to make MMA debut at LFA 217
A post shared by LFA (@lfafighting) It's been talked about for so long, and now Gable Steveson's venture into mixed martial arts is officially happening. Steveson (0-0), a 2020 Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, will make his MMA debut against Braden Peterson (1-0) at LFA 217 on Sept. 12 from Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, Minn. The promotion announced the news Tuesday in a press release. Steveson's debut is a long time coming as the possibility of trying his hand at MMA has been discussed since winning his gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics (delayed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Instead of jumping straight into MMA, Steveson went the pro wrestling route and signed with WWE. His more than two-year stint with WWE ended in May 2024. Upon his release from WWE, Steveson, who'd never played football, was invited for an NFL tryout with the Buffalo Bills. Steveson got far into 2024 training camp but was cut as the team trimmed down to a final 53-man roster. Since then, Steveson has ramped up his MMA training. He spent time at Kill Cliff FC in Florida before he was invited by Jon Jones to help prepare the then-heavyweight champion for his title fight against Stipe Miocic last November at UFC 309. Steveson, 25, returned to compete in collegiate wrestling this year for the University of Minnesota. The two-time national champion, who'd won 73 consecutive matches, was denied a third title after he was shockingly upset on a last-second takedown by Oklahoma State's Wyatt Hendrickson. During a March appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" shortly after the loss, Steveson indicated a move to MMA was in his near future. He credited Jones for being a "great mentor" to him. "I've got a great mentor right now, I hope a lot of people know a guy named Jon Jones – just a fantastic dude and the greatest fighter of all time. He's pretty damn good," Steveson said. 'I appreciate his efforts of trying to lead me into the right direction and kind of taking my back and giving me the direction that I need. I'm really young, and he's been there and done that before, so I'm really appreciative of how he's kind of walked my steps leading into this next chapter, if that's what it is.'

Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Tyson Beckford took a break from his dating show to hold ‘Court' in Miami
Don't ever feel sorry for Tyson Beckford even if you see him crying on TV. The legendary '90s supermodel is doing just fine in his search for the one on the new Bravo reality show, 'Kings Court.' The Sunday night dating series follows Beckford and two other single hunks — NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer and WWE legend Thaddeus 'Titus O'Neil' Bullard — in the search for their queen. Though filming is done primarily in Atlanta, Beckford made some time for some fun over the weekend back home in Miami. The native New Yorker, 54, was a special guest Saturday night at a Sonrisa Rum party at Shiso rooftop bar in Wynwood. The 'Zoolander' star sipped on cocktails while, um, holding court. Something else we don't worry about? Beckford's famous physique taking a hit from a night out on the town. On Instagram Tuesday, Beckford dropped a clip talking to Bravo about his daily workout routine. 'I have a tendency to overdrink too much water,' said the fitness buff, who does an average of 300 to 500 ab crunches first thing in the morning, depending on his schedule. 'From there, 300 to 500 pushups before I go to the gym.' Yes, he said 'before.' It's unclear if the erstwhile ladies man, who coparents a grown son Jordan with celebrity stylist April Roomet, found love on the show, and of course, Bravo can never tell. What we do know is the type of woman Beckford is looking for: he told UsWeekly for last month's cover story. 'She's got to be like me — she can't take herself too seriously,' the runway vet told the outlet. '[She] definitely has to have a sense of humor because I'm a practical joker. I'm probably going to get a picture of her sleeping some way and post it on Instagram, and she can't be mad. If she's wearing her mask, I definitely got to get a picture of that.' What you see is what you get with this guy. After a bunch of breakups, Beckford felt finally ready to dip his toe back into the pool again, despite cameras being on them basically 24/7. 'Maybe this is the therapy I need? Maybe I do need to get back out there?' he told Us. 'I went in and decided not to hold back. We're just going to be our genuine self — that person who is emotional, the mama's boy. We're going to show that side.'



