14-02-2025
'I don't need mentors anymore': Roxanne Perez has Bayley — and WWE history — in her sights at NXT Vengeance Day
It's a big week for Roxanne Perez. Fresh from her runner-up finish in this year's WWE Royal Rumble, in which she emerged as the match's longest-lasting competitor, 'The Prodigy' heads to Washington D.C. for a four-way title showdown on Saturday at NXT Vengeance Day. If she wins, she will become the first-ever three-time NXT women's champion.
Speaking to Uncrowned three days ahead of Vengeance Day, Perez is unwavering in her mission. 'I have absolutely no doubt I'm getting my title back,' she says, flashing a smile that hides any underlying annoyance at being asked the question in the first place.
It's true that the 23-year-old Texan has never been short of confidence. But few matches have ever been as personal for Perez, who has a complex relationship (to put it mildly) with the other three women in Saturday's match.
In one corner is her old tag-team partner Cora Jade, whose relationship with Perez has been tempestuous in recent years. In another stands Giulia, the current NXT women's champion who in January became the first woman to beat Perez in more than a year. And finally there's Bayley, one of WWE's pioneering Four Horsewomen and Perez's former inspiration who has become the subject of her latest vendetta.
For all of Perez's insistence that she will triumph, there's little doubt she's entering her own personal lion's den. But which of the three women would she rather pin? Given the swirling pastiche of history and personal animosity layered within the match, her response is a telling one.
'I would happily pin all three of them, but I feel I have the most to prove to Bayley,' she says, having paused for a couple of beats for the first time in our conversation. 'I want to prove that I'm better than her and that I'm the best woman in the NXT division.'
The tough talk is a big step up from two years ago, when a rookie Perez — the youngest breakthrough star in NXT since the days of Paige — described her now-opponent Bayley as her 'big sister' in the wrestling world. Have things really changed that much in that time?
The first sign of tensions arose when Perez visited 'WWE Raw' back in January. But what started as a simmer has since turned into a rolling boil on NXT, where Bayley has been appearing sporadically. The feud has now drawn Bayley back into the NXT women's title scene, in pursuit of a prize she last held in 2015.
'I feel I need to put her properly in her place,' says Perez. 'She needs to realize that I don't need mentors anymore.' It's a point that Perez sought to make on Tuesday, when she interrupted Bayley's NXT match wearing the latter's long-discarded 'Hugger' outfit — a distraction that caused Bayley to lose her match to Jade.
The head games are deliberate, Perez says with a laugh. 'It's no secret that I was a big 'Hugger' fan growing up. But I know Bayley doesn't love it when people bring the 'Hugger' stuff up, so I used it to play mind games with her. And guess what? She lost.'
Perez clearly sees NXT as her territory to defend. But she knows better than anyone that the smart money has long been on her being elevated to the WWE main brands in the near future. Her sizzling performance in 2025's Royal Rumble — which saw her enter at No. 3, survive for more than 67 minutes and eliminate rival Giulia — only fueled speculation that the call to WWE's brightest spotlight is coming.
'Honestly, 'Raw' has always caught my eye since I was a kid,' Perez says. 'It's the brand I'd mention when anyone asked me where I'd go if I ever made it to WWE. I'd love to be on 'SmackDown' too, but 'Raw' has always been in my sights.'
It's probably no coincidence that Bayley is there.
But Perez has other scores to settle on the red brand as well. A move to 'WWE Raw' would put her within striking distance of Lyra Valkyria, who Perez previously battled for the NXT title. Then there's Kiana James, who defeated Perez in 2023 in a ferocious cage match at NXT Deadline.
In the meantime, though, Perez remains part of what is increasingly being referred to (and not just by the WWE) as the best women's division in wrestling. As one of the veterans of the NXT locker room — if one can be such a thing at just 23 — it's emboldening for Perez to see that kind of praise being heaped upon the brand she's worked so hard to lift and support.
'I think it creates even more motivation and drive for everyone there,' she says. 'Our women's division is so diverse — we have D1 athletes going up against women who have been wrestling for years — and everyone is just so hungry. I've said before that I think NXT would go downhill without me, but honestly I think the future is in good hands.'
It's high praise for her peers. But for all her admiration for their talents, Perez is keen to remind the likes of Jade, Giulia, and Stephanie Vaquer that she remains their superior. Winning Saturday's match at Vengeance Day isn't just about becoming the first NXT three-time champion, she insists, but getting back the prize that means so much to her.
'The NXT Women's Championship was the first singles title I ever won in the WWE,' she says, her eyes glowing slightly at the memory. 'It was the thing that proved that all the hard work was worth it — all those hurdles I went through, all those five-hour bus rides to get to shows. Now it's time to get it back.'
And if that means destroying the woman who inspired her to take all those long bus rides in the first place? As far as 'The Prodigy' is concerned, then so be it.
