Roxanne Perez Reflects On First Working With Booker T At 16, Credits Him For Early Mentorship
Roxanne Perez Reveals How Booker T Discovered Her As a Teen and Helped Launch Her WWE Career.
Roxanne Perez has quickly become one of the brightest young stars in WWE, but her journey to the big stage started long before NXT, and she recently opened up about the influential role Booker T played in that process.
During a recent appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, NXT Women’s Champion and Tag NXT Team Champion discussed her early days at Reality of Wrestling in Texas and how working with Booker T and Sharmell gave her the foundation to succeed in professional wrestling.
“That was really, really cool,” Perez recalled. “Because I was a big fan of Booker too, and so starting to work with him at 16, and then having Sharmell there too. I love Sharmell. I was still a kid, so going over there and not really knowing anybody, but having Booker and Sharmell, they’re basically kind of like my second parents. She always says, ‘Yeah, I’m like your mom.’”
Perez reflected on how Booker T took her under his wing when she was still just a teenager with dreams of making it in the wrestling business.
“I am really grateful that Booker saw me as a scrawny, 16-year-old kid and was like, okay, I see something in her, and I feel like she’s taking this seriously. I’m gonna take her seriously too,” she continued.
Booker T has long been known for his work in developing future talent through Reality of Wrestling, and Perez’s story is a testament to that. From those early days in Houston to winning the NXT Women’s Championship and becoming a cornerstone of WWE’s women’s division, the guidance of Booker and Sharmell clearly made an impact on her career trajectory.
Perez’s connection with Booker T has also been highlighted on WWE television, with the Hall of Famer often speaking highly of her progress. Now, as one of the youngest champions in NXT history and a current mainstay on the RAW brand.
You can view the entire Roxanne Perez interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet below.
(h/t Alex Hunt and Chris Van Vliet for the transcriptions/quotes.)
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