Since moving back to its roots as a developmental brand, WWE NXT has seen a number of new up-and-coming Superstars make its way onto its weekly television programming.
One star who’s been especially impressive in recent months is Sol Ruca, who reported to the Performance Center in May of 2022. Her gymnastics background has translated well to the squared circle, and her feats of athleticism have made her a firm favorite among the NXT audience.
Speaking on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed her upcoming match with Elektra Lopez on tonight’s episode of WWE NXT, saying that the company is a bit fan of Ruca but questioning the decision to put her in the ring with someone like Lopez, who hasn’t had as much in-ring success.
“That may not be…they’re really high on Solo Ruca for obvious reasons,” Meltzer stated. “Zoey Stark is probably the best opponent to put her in there with, and Elektra Lopez is probably near the bottom of the list of opponents to put her in there with. I guess Lash Legend might be worse.” (h/t WrestlingNews.co)
Ruca and Zoey Stark have been embroiled in a bitter feud in recent weeks. The two faced off in singles action on the February 7th episode, and the more experienced Stark came out victorious. However, Sol Ruca made it clear that she wants to face Stark again during a promo segment last week.
Kofi Kingston Had High Praise For Sol Ruca Following WWE NXT New Year’s Evil
At New Year’s Evil, Sol Ruca competed in a battle royal to determine the number one contender to the NXT Women’s Championship held by Roxanne Perez. While the bout was eventually won by Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin as they both eliminated each other at the same time, Ruca proved particularly impressive, turning heads when she avoided elimination by walking on her hands.
The spot caught the attention of Kofi Kingston, who’s become known for his own inventive ways to avoid elimination in the annual Royal Rumble. Speaking on a recent episode of Out of Character, Kingston had high praise for Ruca, calling her a “super athlete.”
“Oh my god, she’s a super athlete. Some of the videos she posts on social media, like her doing pistol squats on a balance bar… If I tried to do a pistol squat right now, my knee would laugh at me, explode, and disappear. I can’t do that. It’ll be like Avengers, you know I’m saying, where Thanos snapped his fingers. I’m out of here man, I can’t do that.
She surfs too, right? Just a super athlete, man. Even her finishing move where she does the inverted up and over into the cutter… what the? How? How, dude? How do you even have the guts to try that in front of a live crowd and nail it every single time?” (h/t eWrestlingNews)