At NXT Roadblock, Roxanne Perez put her NXT Women’s Title on the line against Japanese veteran Meiko Satomura.
There were few signs of tension between the two women heading into the match, with a great deal of mutual respect seemingly present on both sides.
For Satomura the match represented an opportunity to strengthen her legacy and add another accolade to her glittering career which began back in 1995. At the other end of the spectrum, Perez wasn’t even born when Satomura made her debut but has risen to the top of NXT’s women’s division in double quick time.
For much of the bout, it was Satomura who made her experience count, remaining in complete control however, Perez’s spirit continued to carry her through. At one stage only the bottom rope saved her from losing her title after being hit with a Scorpion Kick on the outside.
Despite taking so much punishment the determined Perez hung on and rolled up Satomura to claim an unlikely win.
After the match, Satomura raised Perez’s hand but the champion collapsed to the mat. She was immediately tended to by officials and doctors while both Shawn Michaels and Booker T got into the ring to check on her. The show went off the air with Perez being taken away in an ambulance.
In a short statement on social media, WWE said that Perez would be kept in the hospital overnight for observation and continued testing.
WWE has since uploaded footage of the incident from the show onto their YouTube channel, thus confirming this is very much a storyline injury.
Roxanne Perez Remains NXT Women’s Champion
Roxanne Perez is one of the fastest-rising stars in all of WWE having captured championship gold aged just 21. After being trained by Booker T, Perez had a short spell with Ring of Honor before signing with WWE in March 2022.