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USA Today
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Sol Ruca is capturing the attention of everyone in WWE: 'The sky's the limit for her'
You'd think Sol Ruca was born to wrestle. She has flashy moves, an acrobatic specialist who can move just about any way she desires. She's high-flying, willing to be the daredevil to make the crowd gasp while making it look effortless. The charisma has arrived and has blended with her in-ring talent. Plus, have you seen her finisher, the Sol Snatcher? She looks like a natural. Of all the women on the NXT roster, it's fair to say she has the highest ceiling among the young crop of stars. That's what makes this fact crazier: She has been wrestling for only three years. 'I still am pretty, pretty green,' Ruca told USA TODAY Sports. 'I do feel like I am getting closer and closer to confidently saying, 'I think I got this.'' It certainly looks like she has the hang of it. The opportunities are crashing toward her like waves, and it's like she's on a surfboard, riding them flawlessly. She's the NXT Women's North American Champion and Women's Speed Champion, the latter of which could be considered a main roster title. She has appeared on SmackDown, allowing more of the WWE universe to get a first look and be wowed by the talent. And it's not just fans who are enthralled by her, but plenty of wrestlers are taking notice of 'the future' of the business. Getting into wrestling Wrestling wasn't part of Ruca's childhood. Instead, it was gymnastics. From Ontario, California, Ruca – whose actual name is Calyx Hampton – spent much of her youth at Wildfire Gymnastics in Orange County. Starting there at the age of 8, Ruca was already collecting hardware in California, winning state and regional titles during her 10 years with the club. She committed to Oregon's acrobatics and tumbling team before her senior year of high school. In Eugene, she was a vital member of a Ducks squad that reached the national semifinals every year she was there. It wasn't until after Ruca graduated college that WWE reached out to her about trying out. She was a social media influencer, showing off her acrobatic skills that piqued the interest of WWE. In March 2022, Ruca became one of the new recruits at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, and quickly impressed trainers. Although gymnastics and wrestling share some similar aspects, it was a dramatic learning curve for someone just getting in the business. Someone who really helped with learning the ropes was Alba Fyre. Ruca recalled a time Fyre was helping classes and when she locked up with her, Ruca realized 'this is how it should feel. This is what it's all about.' It clicked, and she was ready to run with it. Creating the Sol Snatcher Ruca made her in-ring debut just three months after reporting. It was a hot first year, and she went viral when she debuted the Sol Snatcher, a springboard flip cutter that stunned fans. 'I felt like I could pick up moves pretty quickly and the fundamentals pretty quickly, just because that's what gymnastics was,' Ruca said. It took around a month for Ruca to come up with the Sol Snatcher. The original version of the move was to be a stunner instead of a cutter, but it meant Ruca landing on her bottom, which would eventually get painful. 'I had to workshop that a little bit, and decided that the cutter was just the best option for longevity and executing it flawlessly,' she said. Ruca practiced the move on a squishy ring at the performance center and eventually built up the courage to try it in a match. Now, she arguably has one of the most exciting finishers in the company. She wouldn't say hers is the best in all of wrestling, but if you just consider the 'flashy, flippy' wrestling, she'll say she's at the top. 'I'm happy that I tried it when I did, because once I did that, it went viral, and I kind of just shot off from there,' Ruca added. How injury helped Sol Ruca Ruca was picking up steam, but it came to a screeching halt when she suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in April 2023. It could have been a major setback for someone on the rise. Turns out it was a blessing in disguise. For as impressive as Ruca was, it was a challenge learning to wrestle – especially when it was all new to her. Yes, you have to physically perform, but there are mental aspects that were really testing a former athlete. 'In order to really grasp professional wrestling, you need to know the psychology,' she said. 'You need to know how to put a match together, and I think that is probably the hardest thing for most athletes. Being able to be in a match and be in the moment, instead of just doing all your stuff and hitting hard and doing all that, you have to actually put on a whole performance and put on a character in a show. 'In athletics, you don't get that opportunity. You have to be serious the whole time. So I think that's another thing that athletes, as well as myself, struggle with at first.' It was during her injury recovery when Ruca got to just take time to observe. Actually watch wrestling. See what the best of the business do. Just study it instead of studying and performing at the same time, which led to feeling a bit lost at times. By the time she was cleared to return, Ruca was a 'completely different person' who understood how to succeed. 'I had a better understanding of what I was doing. I had more of a set goal of how I want to be perceived and kind of like how I want to portray myself on TV,' she said. 'I think just having that time off, it was tough, but I think it was definitely necessary for my career to be able to just take a step back.' Since then, Ruca has been on a tear. She has become a bonafide wrestler, looking far from a person who is still in their formative years of being in the ring. Not only is she capturing attention for her skills, but she's also stealing hearts with her personality. Ruca has also formed a partnership with Zaria, dubbed ZaRuca, that has become a fan favorite friendship. It all led into what was a massive April for Ruca. She won the Women's Speed title, and in the same week, won the NXT Women's North American Championship in a thrilling six-person ladder match at Stand and Deliver, becoming one of the big winners of WrestleMania weekend. She's still a double champion, and now seemingly working almost any and all shows. 'It's been crazy, to be honest,' she said. 'Going from nothing to double champion and getting the opportunity, not only to work with NXT talent, but going up to Raw, Smackdown and defending the Speed title against people that I've never been in the ring with before. I just feel like I'm getting so much more experience this way, and I'm just improving every single time I go out there.' Catching the eye of WWE stars Ruca has certainly caught the eye of wrestlers on all levels of WWE. Jordynne Grace, who has officially been with the company for six months, has noticed who is the future of the company in NXT. She feels like she can tell who could be in the main event of WrestleMania one day. When asked by USA TODAY Sports which star Grace thought of, the first one who came to mind was Ruca. 'You've seen her wrestle. It's actually ridiculous,' Grace said. 'She's been wrestling, what, two to three years at this point? So, you can only imagine what she's going to be able to do in the future.' And she has the attention of arguably the most decorated woman in WWE. Charlotte Flair competed against Ruca in the fatal four-way tag team championship match at Evolution, and was the recipient of a Sol Snatcher. That interaction has the 16-time champion already itching for a match, knowing the potential. 'I'm looking forward to a one-on-one with Sol Ruca,' Flair said. 'I just think the sky's the limit for her.' All of the opportunities and praise could certainly get to Ruca's head, but it's far from reality. A permanent residence on the main roster is the goal of every NXT star, but Ruca feels like her time on the brand is far from over. She still is constantly learning and in need of it, while wanting all critiques and criticism with it. She also feels like getting that main roster experience helps her training with fellow NXT stars so they can improve their stock. Did a lot of work and pressure find Ruca quickly? Sure, but she's ready for it. She's excited to 'show the world what I got,' proving she has the makings of a major star. There's no telling how far Ruca can go. Not bad for someone just getting into wrestling. 'I love where I'm at, and can't wait to keep doing it,' Ruca said.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Two shocking title changes shake the WWE NXT landscape
WWE NXT saw two shocking title changes take place on this week's episode. NXT presented the May 27th edition of the show from the Capitol Wrestling Center. The event featured the fallout from their latest Premium Live Event, NXT Battleground, which was a spectacular show. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now However, this week's episode threw a major curveball towards the fans and caught them off guard with not one but two title changes on the same night. This came as a huge blow to two top NXT stars who were at the top of their game. Which NXT Champions lost their titles after the Battleground PLE? Two huge title matches were set in stone for the May 27th edition of WWE NXT. The first one saw the narcissist Ethan Page challenging Ricky Saints for the NXT North American Championship. The duo had begun to brawl even before the match officially started. This led to General Manager Ava coming down and turning the title bout into a no-disqualification match. Following the change in stipulation, they clashed in a classic showdown, which garnered loud cheers from the WWE Universe. The action spilled across the ringside and was an evenly matched contest. It came down to the final moments as All Ego connected with his finishing move on Saints to become the new NXT North American Champion. In the main event, Stephanie Vaquer was set to defend her NXT Women's Championship against Jacy Jayne following their backstage altercation at Battleground. La Primera took control of the bout, but Jayne also fought back with her fury. The match was a captivating sight as both competitors realised what was at stake. In a shocking twist, as Vaquer had connected with the Devil's Kiss, Jayne's cohorts, Fallon Henley, and Jazmyn Nyx came into the mix. On the side of the ring, Nyx distracted the referee, and Henley nailed Vaquer with a kick and rolled her into the ring. Jayne put the final nail in the coffin by hitting a thunderous punch and pinning The Dark Angel to win the NXT Women's Championship in a major shocker, which has now changed the landscape of the brand. Also read:
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trick Williams Makes History, Wins TNA World Championship At NXT Battleground
AND NEW — NXT's Trick Williams is the new TNA Champion! Trick Williams defeated TNA's Joe Hendry to win the title at NXT Battleground in Tampa. The final moments of the match saw Trick bring the title into the match, but the referee stopped him from using it. Hendry tried to take advantage with a rollup, but Trick kicked out. Advertisement The ref got the title out of the ring as Hendry went for the Standing Ovation. However, this allowed Trick to rake Hendry behind the ref's back. Williams then hit a Trick Shot and made the cover to win. Williams looked shocked at picking up the win, as was the crowd in Tampa, which included TNA President Carlos Silva. Trick Williams makes history with TNA title win This is Trick Williams' first championship win outside of WWE/NXT, where he is a two-time NXT Champion and a one-time NXT North American Champion. Williams is not only the first WWE contracted talent to win the TNA World Championship, but this was the first time in history that the title changed hands outside of TNA. (AEW's Kenny Omega also won the TNA Championship while under contract with AEW, but that title change took place at TNA Rebellion 2021.) Advertisement Joe Hendry's first TNA World Championship reign ends at 126 days. He initially won the title from Nic Nemeth at TNA Genesis on January 19, 2025. Shawn Michaels recently put over Trick Williams as one of the two men he would consider being 'Mr. NXT.' Michaels also told Brad Gilmore of Reality of Wrestling he expects Williams to be a RAW or SmackDown star in the future. 'Look, I think it's a toss-up on our men's side. I think they'd probably argue about it, but I think Trick Williams and Oba Femi are two guys with — Trick has unlimited charisma, but Oba also has a mystique and an aura about him. They're two very different individuals, but they're both guys that are easily superstars that people see are going to be Raw and SmackDown superstars in the very near future, I'm sure.' Shawn Michaels might not have seen him being a TNA Impact regular, but that might be the case now! Michaels also named his 'Ms. NXT' but that pick was less of a toss-up. Advertisement Catch up on everything that went down at NXT Battleground here. The post Trick Williams Makes History, Wins TNA World Championship At NXT Battleground appeared first on Wrestlezone.
