How a teenage prodigy rose from Texas independent circuits to WWE stardom
In short: Before she was a mainstay on WWE's Raw brand, Carla Gonzalez was a 13-year-old trainee in Texas. From becoming the youngest champion in Ring of Honor history to surviving a back surgery, her journey through professional wrestling is a masterclass in rapid ascent and resilience.
Born Carla Gonzalez in November 2001, the wrestler known to fans as Roxanne Perez began her training at just 13 years old. By 16, she was studying under Booker T at the Reality of Wrestling school. Her early career, performing as Rok-C, was defined by rapid success in her home state of Texas, where she captured the ROW Diamonds Division Championship.
Her breakthrough came in 2021 when she joined Ring of Honor (ROH). At age 19, she defeated Miranda Alize in the finals of a tournament to become the inaugural ROH Women's World Champion, making her the youngest female champion in the company's history. This momentum carried her to WWE in March 2022, where she transitioned into the Roxanne Perez persona.
In WWE's NXT, Perez's career has been marked by both dominance and dramatic shifts. She became a two-time NXT Women's Champion, including a significant 276-day reign that ended in January 202 and a victory over Giulia. Her career has also seen significant physical and character hurdles, including a 2026 surgery to remove a neoplasm from her back and a high-profile heel turn following an attack on Lyra Valkyria.
Beyond the ring, Gonzalez has used her platform to discuss mental health, noting that wrestling helped her manage anxiety and depression. As of 2025, she is a member of the Judgment Day stable on the Raw brand, continuing a career that has seen her ranked among the top 30 wrestlers under 30.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Roxanne Perez
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