NXT women’s champion Raquel Gonzalez recently spoke with Fightful to hype this evening’s NXT on USA program, where Gonzalez defends her title against Xia Li. Highlights from the interview can be found below.
Her past history with Xia Li:
“It definitely brings back old memories from a lot of past encounters we’ve had and Coconut (live event) shows and when I got to attend a tryout in Shanghai and I wrestled her there for everyone in Shanghai. That was a great experience. It’s also like, ‘We’re doing this again.’ The last time she came and called me out, she didn’t show up, now she’s stepping on Dakota’s shining moment. [Dakota] just beat Ember Moon, clean and fair, and now [Xia] is taking this opportunity to come and get in my face.”
How she expects the matchup to go:
“For me, it’s the same thing I go into these matches thinking; be ready for the unexpected. Yeah, she’s little, so she can probably get out of things easier and she moves a little quicker. If we look at UFC and boxing fights, the advantage always goes to the person with the longest reach. No matter how many strikes she’s throwing, those things are going to wear her out if she’s not hitting them.”
Which coaches helped her at the WWE PC:
“A lot of the coaches at the Performance Center have helped me with that. I had the opportunity to work with Robbie Brookside, Norman Smiley, Scotty 2 Hotty, Sara Amato, Matt Bloom. Getting feedback from Terry Taylor and Fit Finlay. Even talking with Shawn (Michaels) and Triple H sometimes, they really helped me build up my confidence in my size and what my in-ring capabilities are. Especially Scotty 2 Hotty, even though he’s not one of the taller men’s competitors, he’s someone who brought me out of my box and pushed me to my limit on what I could do and be capable of. “