By the looks of it, you couldn’t tell Raquel Rodriguez had a huge match on the line. On Saturday, she will compete for the Women’s World Championship at WWE Payback against Rhea Ripley. It’ll be Rodriguez’s first Premium Live Event single’s match, and admittedly, the biggest match of her career at this point.
“There are so many emotions going through me leading up to this weekend.”
Rodriguez’s hair was straight and her headphones rested on her shoulders as her smile peaked between the cracks of her displeasure as she spoke about her opponent.
“There’s a lot of anger, and I guess—pent-up aggression from her hurting Liv [Morgan], her hurting me, causing us to lose our tag titles,” Rodriguez told The Comeback, “but I’m trying really hard to kind of harness all of that angry energy and contain it because I know that Rhea [Ripley]’s got the numbers game up on me now—she has her tricks and she’s become a different Rhea from the one that I started with at The PC …”
Raquel is embracing the underdog role heading into the match.
“I think the underdog is always underestimated,” Rodriguez said. “But it’s such a good story, it’s such a good position to be in because the only way an underdog can go is up.”
Now opponents, Rodriguez and Ripley used to be friends, even sporting matching “RNR” tattoos on their fingers. They know each other better than they’d like to admit. Perhaps that’ll give each a leg up on the competition.
“OK, I am the underdog going into this battle, Rhea has been arguably the most dominant female in WWE’s women’s division at the moment, and I have yet to have my moment.”
The two came up with one another in the ranks that began in developmental, making stops through NXT.
“A really long history together,” Rodriguez added. “We had our little rivalry at NXT and then things kind of changed when she got called up to RAW, and we kind of built back our friendship, and things have been a little different since she’s joined Judgement Day. I haven’t seen her as much, I haven’t talked to her a lot—and just her overall attitude has been—not the same Rhea that I once knew.”
It all comes down to Saturday’s match.
“This is my moment,” Rodriguez said. “This is my moment to show the WWE Universe, to show Rhea Ripley, to show the women’s division, that I am just—if not more, as dominant as Rhea Ripley and I can hold a women’s title.”
Short and to the Point with Jessica Kleinschmidt is available wherever you get your podcasts. Jess’ full interview with Raquel will launch on Wednesday, September 6.