NXT women’s champion Raquel Gonzalez recently spoke with Yahoo Sports about a wide range of topics, including honoring her father Rick Gonzalez, and transitioning from a heel to a bayface in NXT. Highlights from the interview are below.
On getting her in-ring moniker and honoring her father:
“The one [name] that they did push back on was Victoria, my actual name, because it had been used a couple of times, but González wasn’t a problem. It was very important for me to keep it because my father went by Speedy González and Rick ‘Desperado’ González. I wanted to keep those initials. It was important for me to have a first name that started with R. I think that they loved the González part because it added something different to the women’s division at the time.”
Talks her transition from heel to babyface:
“I think the transition from heel to babyface hasn’t felt too different. I feel like I am still being true to myself. Another big change is being more vocal. When I was a heel bodyguard, I was silent and kind of kept to myself. Now, I can open up about me, my character and who I am.”
