Aja Smith officially made her NXT live event debut on Friday, Feb. 21. The live event took place from Ocala, FL. Smith refereed the women's bout between Shotzi Blackheart and Taynara Conti.
The former Aja Perera was announced as joining the WWE Performance Center on Feb. 5, making the transition from wrestler to referee. She was part of the December 2019 Performance Center tryouts.
First match-- #nxtocala #BeTheChange#BlackGirlMagic pic.twitter.com/FCQf4KMVnv
— Aja Smith (@PereraPower) February 22, 2020
We have the NXT debut of referee @PereraPower here in Ocala, FL. @WONF4W pic.twitter.com/TCY4S92Rpt
— JJ Williams (@JJWilliamsWON) February 22, 2020
@PereraPower’s debut at Ocala ---- pic.twitter.com/MRitfsbceT
— Kim (@kimberlasskick) February 22, 2020
Congrats to @PereraPower on making HISTORY! #nxtocala pic.twitter.com/jWIMdeHab5
— Kyle (@FLWrestlingFan) February 22, 2020
In her WWE Performance Center video, Smith stated, "Referees are the unsung heroes. They put in so much work and they are seemingly invisible. But without them, there would be no wrestling." You can find her full comments and her PC debut video by clicking here.
Fightful will have full results from NXT live in Ocala following the conclusion of the event.
