Victoria González (born January 12, 1991), better known as Raquel González, is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. She is currently signed to

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

, where she performs on the

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Raquel Rodriguez. She is a former

NXT Women's Champion The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on April 5, 2013, th ...

, two-time

NXT Women's Tag Team Champion The NXT Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. The current ch ...

and

WWE Women's Tag Team Champion The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is the only women's tag team championship for WWE's main roster, thus is defended across both ...

. González is a second generation professional wrestler, following her father Rick González. In 2021, she and, now former tag team partner and best friend,

Dakota Kai Cheree Georgina Crowley (born 6 May 1988) is a New Zealand-born professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Dakota Kai. She is a member of Damage CTRL and is one half of the cur ...

won the inaugural Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and became the inaugural NXT Women's Tag Team Champions, while González won the

NXT Women's Championship The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on April 5, 2013, t ...

Early life

Victoria González was born on January 12, 1991, in

La Feria, Texas La Feria is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. Its population was 7,302 at the time of the 2010 census. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville, the Matamoros–Brownsville, and the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission me ...

, United States. She is of Mexican descent. A fan of professional wrestling growing up, she cited

Madusa Debrah Ann Miceli (born February 9, 1964), better known as Madusa, is an Italian-born American monster truck driver and former professional wrestler. She is currently working for National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as a producer. In 2015, she has ...

and Lita as her inspirations, as well as her father Rick, who was also a wrestler. Through high school and college, González was a

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player, playing collegiately for the

Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas The Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas ( ) are the College athletics, athletic teams that represent Texas A&M University–Kingsville (TAMUK) in Kingsville, Texas, in intercollegiate sports at the NCAA Division II, Division II level of the National ...

. In 2013, she transferred to

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...

where she continued her collegiate basketball career.

Professional wrestling career

WWE

Early appearances (2016–2018)

On October 25, 2016, it was reported that González had signed with

and reported to the

WWE Performance Center The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The promotion currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE wre ...

. She made her in-ring debut on January 20, 2017, under her birth name at an

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

live event A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...

, where she was unsuccessful winning a 12-woman

battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...

. On the May 3 episode of ''NXT'', González made her first television appearance in a losing effort, where she was eliminated during a battle royal to determine the #1 contender for the

. Under the name Reina González, she competed in the inaugural

Mae Young Classic The Mae Young Classic was a women's professional wrestling tournament and WWE Network event produced by WWE, an American-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was named in honor of the late Mae Young, a WWE Hall of Famer who is consi ...

tournament, where she was eliminated during the first round by

Nicole Savoy Nicole Savoy is an American retired professional wrestler. She has performed in Shimmer Women Athletes, where she was the longest reigning Shimmer Champion. Early life Savoy is trained in Muay Thai and jujutsu. Professional wrestling caree ...

, which aired on August 28. González would compete again in the tournament in 2018, where she once again was eliminated in the first round by

Kacy Catanzaro Kacy Esther Catanzaro (born January 14, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, gymnast and athletics-based television personality. She is currently signed with WWE on the NXT brand under the ring name Katana Chance. She competed at ...

Alliance with Dakota Kai (2020–2021)

On February 16, 2020, at NXT TakeOver: Portland, under the ring name Raquel González, she interfered in a street fight between

and

Tegan Nox Steffanie Rhiannon Newell (born 15 November 1994) is a Welsh professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Tegan Nox. Newell previously wrestled on the British independent circuit under ...

by slamming Nox through a table, allowing Kai to win the match, establishing herself as a

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

in the process. González then became Kai's bodyguard, helping her win her matches. González had her first pay-per-view match on June 7 at TakeOver: In Your House, where she, Kai, and

Candice LeRae Candice LeRae Gargano (''née'' Dawson; born September 29, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand. She is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion and was a member of The Way. LeRa ...

lost to

Mia Yim Stephanie Hym Lee (née Bell; born April 16, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name "Michin" Mia Yim. She is a member of The O.C.. She is also known for her tim ...

, Nox and

Shotzi Blackheart Ashley Louise Urbanski (born March 14, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and singer. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Shotzi (shortened from her previous ring name Shotzi Black ...

in a

six-woman tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder ma ...

. Afterwards, González went on a short hiatus, but returned on the August 19 episode of ''NXT'', helping Kai attack

Io Shirai is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Iyo Sky (stylized in all caps). She is a member of Damage CTRL and one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions with ...

. At

NXT TakeOver XXX NXT TakeOver XXX (originally NXT TakeOver: Boston) was the 30th NXT TakeOver professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event took place on A ...

three days later, after Kai lost to Shirai,

Rhea Ripley Demi Bennett (born 11 October 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Rhea Ripley and is a member of The Judgment Day. She was also the inaugural N ...

confronted González, beginning a rivalry between the two. González lost to Ripley on October 28 at

Halloween Havoc Halloween Havoc is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE for the company's developmental brand, NXT. As the name implies, it is a Halloween-themed show held in October. It was originally produced as an annual pay-per-view ...

. Kai and González aligned with LeRae and

Toni Storm Toni Rossall (born 19 October 1995), better known by the ring name Toni Storm, is a New Zealand-Australian professional wrestler. She is currently signed to AEW, where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. She previously worked for WWE ...

in November, resulting in a

WarGames match WarGames is a specialized steel cage match in professional wrestling. The match usually involves two teams of either four, five, or more wrestlers locked inside a steel cage that encompasses two rings placed side by side. The cage may or may not ...

against Blackheart,

Ember Moon Adrienne Reese (born August 31, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Athena. She also appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the current ROH Wom ...

, Shirai, and Ripley on December 6 at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, which González won after pinning Shirai. At New Year's Evil on January 6, 2021, she defeated Ripley in a

Last Woman Standing match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

, ending their feud. Kai and González took part in the inaugural Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, defeating

Aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...

and Jessi Kamea in the first round, Kacy Catanzaro and

Kayden Carter Allyssa Lyn "Lacey" Lane (born May 20, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under the ring name Kayden Carter, performing on the NXT brand. She is a one-time NXT Women's Tag Team Champion with Katana Chance. Early l ...

in the semi-finals, and Moon and Blackheart at Vengeance Day on February 14 to win the tournament. As a result of their win, they received a match for the

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is the only women's tag team championship for WWE's main roster, thus is defended across bot ...

against champions

Nia Jax Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian-born American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Nia Jax from 2014 to 2021 and became a one-time Raw Women's Champion and two- ...

and

Shayna Baszler Shayna Andrea Baszler ( ; born August 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, kickboxer and former mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand. Baszler is a former two-time and longest ...

on March 3; the match ended in controversy, with Jax and Baszler retaining after Baszler submitted Kai despite her not being tagged in. As a result, González and Kai were crowned the inaugural NXT Women's Tag Team Champions the following week, the first title in González's career; however, they would lose the titles 56 minutes later to Blackheart and Moon in their first title defense.

NXT Women's Champion (2021–2022)

On April 7, 2021, at the first night of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, González defeated Shirai to become the new

. On the May 11 episode of ''NXT'', she made her first successful title defense against

Mercedes Martinez Jazmin Benitez (born November 17, 1980) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Mercedes Martinez. She also appears for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is a form ...

. On June 13 at NXT TakeOver: In Your House, González retained the title against Ember Moon. On the July 27 episode of ''NXT'', González was attacked by Kai, turning

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

for the first time in her career and ending their alliance. This led to a title match between the two at NXT TakeOver 36 on August 22, where González retained and was confronted by

Kay Lee Ray Kayleigh Rae (born 11 August 1992), better known as Kay Lee Ray, is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Alba Fyre. Rae began her wrestling career in 2009 and c ...

. On the September 28 episode of ''NXT'', after retaining the title against Franky Monet, she was attacked by

Toxic Attraction Toxic Attraction was a professional wrestling stable in WWE on the NXT brand. The group originally consisted of Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin, and Jacy Jayne. After Rose was released from her WWE contract in December 2022, Toxic Attraction became a tag ...

(

Mandy Rose Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose. Rose began ...

Gigi Dolin Priscilla Lee Kelly (born June 5, 1997) is an American professional wrestler. She performs under the ring name Gigi Dolin in the NXT brand, and is one-half of the tag team Toxic Attraction with Jacy Jayne, and she is a former record-tying two-ti ...

, and

Jacy Jayne Taylor Grado (born June 2, 1996) is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Jacy Jayne as a member of Toxic Attraction. She is a former record-tying two-time NXT Women's Tag Team Cha ...

). The following week, a

Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

match between González and Rose for the title was made for

on October 26, where she lost the NXT Women's Championship to Rose in a

Trick or Street Fight Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. So ...

due to the returning Kai's interference, ending her reign at 202 days. On December 5 at

WarGames ''WarGames'' is a 1983 American science fiction techno-thriller film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film, which stars Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, and Ally Sheedy, follows Dav ...

, González,

Cora Jade Brianna Coda (born January 14, 2001) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, performing on the NXT brand under the ring name Cora Jade, where she is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion. Before signing to WWE, she previous ...

, Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray defeated Kai and Toxic Attraction in a WarGames match. At New Year's Evil on January 4, 2022, González failed to regain the title in a triple threat match also involving Jade, who Rose pinned to retain the title. González and Jade then took part in the Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, defeating Valentina Feroz & Yulisa Leon in the first round, but lost to Kai and

Wendy Choo Karen Yu (born January 18, 1992) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to the promotion WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Wendy Choo. She is also known for her appearances with Ring of Honor and ...

in the semi-finals on March 8 at

Roadblock A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be: *Roadworks *Temporary road closure during special events * Police chase *Robbery *Sobriety checkpoint In peaceful circumstances ...

. On the March 29 episode of ''NXT'', after Toxic Attraction took out Choo, Dakota Kai attacked the group and was assisted by a returning González, whom Kai embraced afterwards. It was then announced that Kai and González would face Toxic Attraction members Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne for the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship during the pre-show of NXT Stand & Deliver on April 2, in which they were successful in winning the titles. Their first title defense was scheduled for the following episode of ''NXT'', where they lost the titles back to Toxic Attraction due to Mandy Rose’s interference; this was González's final appearance in NXT.

Main roster (2022–present)

On the April 8 episode of ''SmackDown'', González made her main roster debut in a backstage segment under the new ring name Raquel Rodriguez. On the April 29 episode of ''SmackDown'', she made her in-ring debut for the brand, defeating

local competitor Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...

Cat Cardoza. On the May 13 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rodriguez answered

Ronda Rousey Ronda Jean Rousey (; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current SmackDown Women’s ...

's open challenge for the

SmackDown Women's Championship The WWE SmackDown Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main rost ...

, but lost. On the June 17 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rodriguez defeated

to qualify for the Money in the Bank

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

on July 2, which was won by

Liv Morgan Gionna Jene Daddio (born June 8, 1994) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Liv Morgan. She is a former SmackDown Women's Champion. In 20 ...

. On the August 5 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rodriguez competed in a

gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

to determine the #1 contender to Morgan's SmackDown Women's Championship, but was the last woman eliminated by Baszler. The following week, she and

participated in the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament, defeating

Shotzi Ashley Louise Urbanski (born March 14, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and singer. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Shotzi (shortened from her previous ring name Shotzi Blac ...

and

Xia Li Zhao Xia (; born July 28, 1988) is a Chinese-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Xia Li ...

in the first round, and

Natalya Natalya (russian: Наталья) is the Russian form of the female given name Natalia. The name Natasha (russian: link=no, Наташа), being originally a diminutive form of Natalya, became an independent name outside the Russian-speaking state ...

and

Sonya Deville Daria Rae Berenato (born September 24, 1993) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sonya Deville. She is also a former on-scre ...

in the semi-finals. On the August 29 episode of ''Raw'', Rodriguez and Aliyah defeated

Damage CTRL Damage Control (stylized as Damage CTRL) is a villainous professional wrestling stable composed of leader Bayley, Dakota Kai, & Iyo Sky currently performing in WWE on the Raw brand. Kai and Sky are the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions ...

(Dakota Kai and

Iyo Sky is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Iyo Sky (stylized in all caps). She is a member of Damage CTRL and former two-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champions with fellow stablemate ...

) in the finals to win the vacant tag titles, making her the first woman to have held the NXT Women's, NXT and WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. On the September 12 episode of ''Raw'', they lost the titles to Kai and Sky, ending their reign at 14 days. After Shotzi saved Rodriguez from an attack by Damage CTRL, they challenged Kai and Sky for the titles on the October 21 episode of ''SmackDown'', but were unsuccessful after Bayley distracted Shotzi. On the November 11 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rodriguez competed in a six-pack challenge to determine the #1 contender to Rousey's SmackDown Women's Championship, which was won by Shotzi. On the December 23 episode of ''SmackDown,'' Rodriguez won a

to become the #1 contender to Rousey’s SmackDown Women’s Championship. The following week on ''SmackDown,'' Rodriguez failed to win the title after interference from

Professional wrestling style

During her time in NXT, she performed a one-arm powerbomb as a finishing move called the ''Chingona Bomb''. The move was renamed to the ''Texana Bomb'' when she was drafted to the main roster since it was deemed too vulgar.

Championships and accomplishments

* ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' ** Ranked No. 10 of the top 150 female wrestlers in the ''

PWI Women's 150 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...

'' in 2021 *

( 1 time) - with

( 1 time) **

NXT Women's Tag Team Championship The NXT Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. The current cha ...

( 2 times, inaugural) – with

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament (2022) The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is the only women's tag team championship for WWE's main roster, thus is defended across bot ...

– with

** Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

) – with

*Other titles **National Don’t H8 Ringmaster (2021)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:González, Raquel 1991 births American professional wrestlers of Mexican descent American female professional wrestlers American actresses of Mexican descent Living people Professional wrestlers from Texas Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas athletes NXT Women's Tag Team Champions NXT Women's Champions People from La Feria, Texas 21st-century American women 21st-century professional wrestlers WWE Women's Tag Team Champions