Raquel Rodriguez rides high into WWE Evolution, a record six-time women’s tag champ and weekly fixture with the Judgment Day, but not everyone is impressed. Six-time world champion Kevin Nash recently tore into her style, accusing Rodriguez of wasting her size advantage.
Nash, one of professional wrestling’s most successful big men and a two-time WWE Hall of Famer, criticized Rodriguez for minimizing her physical gifts in the ring.
“I get pissed off at her because she always works down,” Nash recently said on his “Kliq This” podcast. “They have to teeter to knock you off your f—ing base when you’re that much bigger than them.”
Rodriguez, 34, is enjoying the best run of her career. She’s featured weekly on Monday Night Raw and had a prominent team with Liv Morgan, one of WWE’s bigger stars, before Morgan’s injury. But Rodriguez, who signed with WWE as a rookie, shows incredible humility in response to Nash’s sharp words.
“If that’s coming from Kevin Nash, I fully take that to heart,” Rodriguez said. “If he thinks I’m working too small, then, Mr. Nash — sir, with all due respect — I’ll start working bigger. I hope you’ll tune in more and watch Raquel Rodriguez grow and get bigger every single time.
“If anyone knows how to be a cool, big, strong wrestler, it’s Kevin Nash. He set the bar for us.”
Rodriguez, who grew up travelling to local shows with her father, independent wrestler Rick Gonzalez, credits this half-glass-full approach to her longevity in WWE.
“It’s important to be respectful and recognize that someone is watching your craft, taking time out of their day to criticize you. That’s a compliment,” Rodriguez said. “Kevin Nash has better things to do than watch a Raquel Rodriguez match and tell her she’s working too small. For him to go out of his way to do that, I fully respect that and take that criticism to heart.
“It’s something I’m working on at the moment. I’ve stepped out of my shell a little bit more. It’s definitely on the rise. This attitude is new and fresh, but she’s feeling very confident these days.”
Joining Judgment Day gave Rodriguez a cooler edge, but also helped her rediscover the smile of her early WWE run. If anything, it feels more authentic now.
The Judgment Day isn’t the nWo or The Bloodline, but it’s reshaped careers. Dominik Mysterio is the group’s biggest success story, but Morgan, Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest all leveled up with the group. Rodriguez credits the group for her evolution as she grows into a superstar Nash will respect.
“We are family. If we let you in, we’re welcoming you to a group or club that’s there for each other,” Rodriguez said. “Feelings and emotions arise, but I truly feel the Judgment Day allows everyone to be themselves, expand on that and show that to the WWE universe. It also allows us to find support like with our families.”
Rodriguez defends her WWE women’s tag team titles with Roxanne Perez, filling in for Morgan, against teams from Raw, SmackDown and NXT at Evolution. Rodriguez walks into Sunday’s pay-per-view with a big new personality and, perhaps, a bigger style in the ring.