Vaquer held belts in NJPW and CMLL before jumping to WWE
WWE landed a major pro wrestling star on Wednesday, one who will start at NXT and certainly bolster the already rising roster the brand has put together.
Stephanie Vaquer, a Chilean professional wrestler who held titles in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and was ranked No. 54 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 250 women’s wrestlers in 2023, signed with WWE.
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Stephanie Vaquer poses with the belts during the Women's Pro-Wrestling "Stardom" at Korakuen Hall on March 10, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Vaquer appeared to say her goodbyes to fans at her final CMLL show over the weekend. CMLL then announced she was being stripped of her World’s Women’s Championship and World Women’s Tag Team Championship as she departed for "personal reasons."
Shawn Michaels, the WWE legend who is now the senior vice president of talent development creative and leads creative for NXT, confirmed that Vaquer was indeed headed for WWE.
"Welcome to the WWE Family, @Steph_Vaquer. See you in Orlando!" Michaels wrote.
Welcome to the WWE Family, @Steph_Vaquer. See you in Orlando! pic.twitter.com/cV9fBY1cSw
— Shawn Michaels (@ShawnMichaels) July 10, 2024
Multiple reports indicated over the last few weeks that WWE and All Elite Wrestling were both interested in bringing in Vaquer full time.
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Vaquer appeared at AEW’s Forbidden Door event as part of the company’s partnership with CMLL and NJPW. Vaquer fought Mercedes Moné, who performed in WWE as Sasha Banks, for the AEW TBS Championship and NJPW Strongwoman’s Championship. Moné ended up winning.
Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer pose for photographs during the Women's Pro-Wrestling "Stardom" Press Conference on March 8, 2024, in Tokyo. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Vaquer will now join a roster filled with talent.
Roxanne Perez is the NXT Women’s Champion and Kelani Jordan is the Women’s North American Champion. Both recently defended their titles against Lola Vice and Sol Ruca respectively.
Adriana Rizzo, Arianna Grace, Brinley Reece, Carlee Bright, Cora Jade, Dani Palmer, Fallon Henley, Gigi Dolan, Izzi Dame, Jacy Jayne, Jaida Parker, Jakara Jackson, Jazymn Nix, Karmen Petrovic, Lash Legend, Meiko Satomura, Nikkita Lyons, Stevie Turner, Tatum Paxley, Thea Hail, Wendy Choo and Wren Sinclair are just some of the other talented women listed on the roster.
Stephanie Vaquer celebrates the victory during the Women's Pro-Wrestling "Stardom" at Korakuen Hall on March 10, 2024, in Tokyo. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Image)
WWE has also partnered with TNA in recent months. TNA Women’s Champion Jordynne Grace has appeared on the show, as has Ash by Elegance, formerly known as Dana Brooke in WWE.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
