Raquel Rodriguez Wanted To Keep 'Gonzalez' In Her Name, But Wasn't Upset About The Change

When Raquel Rodriguez moved to WWE Smackdown following WrestleMania 38, she came with a new name. Raquel had established herself as Raquel Gonzalez in NXT, holding the NWA Women's Championship and the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships.

The name change was nothing new for superstars moved from NXT to SmackDown or Raw as many wrestlers have undergone a name change over the past year when moved.

Pro Wrestling Free Agents

Speaking to Ryan Satin on Out of Character, Rodriguez gave her thoughts on the name change.

"I wanted to keep Gonzalez because it represented me. It represents my legacy because it's my real last name. It's the name that my dad used while he was wrestling throughout his career, but I wasn't upset about it. I'm glad that they still gave me something hispanic, Rodriguez, I'm grateful that I got something that is R and R. I was joking with Rhea that her initials are RR, mine are RR, when we used to tag together, we were R&R.I can't say that I was super upset. I just wish...Gonzalez had a special meaning to me, but it's always going to be my name," she said.

Raquel previously noted that she was "fine" with the name change. Her father is Rick González.

Along with the name change came a new attitude as Raquel was smiling more. You can find her comments on smiling while on SmackDown by clicking here.

If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.

Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! Click here to learn more.