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Raquel Rodriguez has become one of WWE's hottest prospects over the past couple of years. She came into WWE NXT as Dakota Kai's muscle and soon overtook her to become the brand's women's champion.
Rodriguez has been making waves with her performances ever since. She was moved to the main roster, where she was given a new name and has featured in some significant matches over the last few months.
Many WWE legends believe she has a bright future in the company. In an interview with Sportskeeda, former WWE personality Ricardo Rodriguez also expressed his desire to manage Big Mami Cool. It looks like several top names see her as a future top champion.
With that said, check out the five exciting things you probably didn't know about Raquel Rodriguez.
#5. Raquel Rodriguez was a basketball player before she became a professional wrestler
Standing 6 feet tall, Raquel Rodriguez is one of the tallest female wrestlers in the industry today. The WWE Superstar has worked hard on her physique to come across as arguably the strongest female wrestler on the company's roster.
Surprisingly, Rodriguez did not wrestle during her high school days. Instead, she used her incredible physical stature to get on the basketball team. Raquel Rodriguez was a part of the Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas team for some time.
In an interview, Big Mami Cool spoke about how she believes basketball is a lot like wrestling in terms of how demanding it can be. She claimed that the scholarship she got from playing basketball helped her through her college years.
“Basketball is actually a lot like pro wrestling; traveling every weekend, having to come back and go to school or work, not getting enough rest, not getting enough time with your family," she said. "Relationships sometimes do suffer as well if you aren’t having that communication because you’re so busy or because you’re out there all the time.”
During the same interview, Raquel said that she did not tell her father that she wanted to become a professional wrestler until after she graduated. He welcomed her decision and helped her train to get into the industry.
#4. Big Mami Cool's father worked for WWE for some time
Raquel Rodriguez has been in WWE for nearly six years and has had a remarkable run thus far.
What many fans do not know is that Rodriguez is a second-generation WWE Superstar. Her father, Rick González, also worked as a professional wrestler for the company for a few years.
In an interview with The Zaslow Show, Raquel Rodriguez discussed various topics. She revealed that she wanted to get into the wrestling industry because of her father, who previously worked for the company.
“I always wanted to get into pro wrestling ever since I was a little girl and watching my dad do it,” Raquel Rodriguez said. “When I graduated college I told myself I can continue to play basketball, continue trying to be on some traveling leagues, or go play overseas, or I can continue with my degree which was in broadcast journalism."
She added:
"Part of me was like, if I’m going to to try and become a WWE Superstar, this is my moment and my time…I loved going to the shows and watching all the hard work my dad and his friends would put into the craft…I didn’t see too many women, but I saw some very strong men. My dad is such a great role model.”
In the same interview, Rodriguez explained that her father kept secrets from them about WWE even though they traveled with him on the road. It's good to see that she has made a name for herself with some incredible performances in the same company her father wrestled for.
#3. Her first title reign lasted less than an hour
Raquel Rodriguez held the NXT Women's Championship for over 200 days and made it clear that she was here to dominate the WWE women's division. While many fans remember her reign as the NXT Women's Champion, most won't know that it wasn't her first title reign in the company.
In early 2021, Rodriguez and Dakota Kai won the first-ever women's Dusty Rhodes Classic Tag Team Tournament. William Regal rewarded them by making them the inaugural NXT Women's Tag Team Champions.
However, the duo put their titles on the line the same night against Ember Moon and Shotzi. They defeated Kai and Rodriguez to end their title reign in no time. It is arguably one of the shortest tag team championship reigns in NXT history.
The duo won the title back a year later, in April 2022. However, their second reign only lasted three days. While Raquel Rodriguez hasn't had a good time with the tag team titles, she has proven to be a solid singles champion in WWE.
#2. She is dating fellow professional wrestler Adam Scherr (fka Braun Strowman)
Raquel Rodriguez is one of the few private individuals in WWE. She hasn't revealed too much about her life outside the ring. Fans have seen many photos of Raquel with former WWE Superstar Braun Strowman. However, they couldn't get a confirmation whether the two were dating.
Through a few social media posts, Strowman confirmed their relationship status. He also took a shot at a few trolls who tried to get in between him and Rodriguez.
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Raquel Rodriguez revealed that Strowman helped her improve a lot inside the ring. He helped shape her character on-screen.
“Even just being around Braun Strowman and having that time to pick his brain,” Rodriguez said, “being a bigger person and character in the ring, it helped me get a better grasp of the kind of wrestler I wanted to portray myself as when I stepped into the ring.”
Big Mami Cool also revealed that The Monster Among Men helped her transition from a heel to a babyface smoothly. The two superstars seem to have been together for a while now and enjoy each other's company.
#1. Raquel Rodriguez has a few wrestling idols who she closely follows
Adam Scherr (Braun Strowman) has helped Raquel Rodriguez shape her current on-screen character. But before she made it big in WWE, Raquel followed her wrestling idols closely and learned from them.
In an interview with TVInsider, the SmackDown Superstar discussed how she had been inspired by some of the greatest WWE wrestlers, including The Undertaker, Eddie Guerrero, Madusa, and Kane.
"I studied Stan Hansen for so long because of his wild aggression and grittiness. That’s something I try to portray because I am a big, strong powerhouse. I’m also gritty. I also watched a lot of Madusa. I just loved the way she moved in the ring. Her athletic ability, her creativeness, her skillset."
She added:
"It was different stuff she did for women’s wrestling. I take a little from Eddie [Guerrero] with his style and attitude. Then I watch The Undertaker and Kane and their stature and how they carry themselves as the big men on the roster."
The former college basketball player has worked hard to become one of the bigger names in the WWE women's division. Big Mami Cool has already won the NXT Women's Championship, and she could go on to become the RAW or SmackDown Women's Champion sooner rather than later.
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