Before she stepped into the ring for RAW, she was a gymnast, surfer and acrobat. Now Women’s Intercontinental Champion Sol Ruca is wowing the world with her high-flying wrestling moves as a WWE Superstar.
KRASH: What was it like growing up in California?
Sol: I lived in a really cool area where I could drive an hour and go snowboarding and then drive an hour to go surfing. I had an older brother who was like my best friend, so I would always hang out with him and all of his hockey friends. I was very, very competitive. My dad is a musician, so we also spent a lot of time going to concerts and festivals.
Krash: What did you love growing up?
Sol: I always loved the beach and surfing. I also loved outdoor sports, skateboarding, snowboarding and video games. Me and my brother in the summer would go swim in the pool and then come back and play video games all day. Mortal Kombat is my number one for sure. I also spent a lot of time playing Call of Duty and Guitar Hero.
KRASH: What was it like in WWE’s training centre, NXT?
Sol: It was absolutely terrifying, just because I was the only girl that was signed in my class that didn’t have prior wrestling experience. I remember one of the days we had a drill and I was just not picking it up and I ended up crying because I was just frustrated. But coach talked to me like, it’s okay, you’re just learning, get back in there. I think being thrown into the deep end is a part of the reason why I debuted so fast.
KRASH: How do you handle nerves before a big match?
Sol: I definitely get nervous, but I don’t allow myself to show that I’m nervous or dwell on it too much. I kind of just tell myself, I got this, I’m here for a reason, they obviously see something in me. I kind of allow myself to get nervous up until my music hits. But then once my music hits, I have to go out there, so I have no choice but to go out there and do my best.
KRASH: What was the highlight of winning the Women’s Intercontinental Championship?
Sol: The promo the following Monday because the crowd was going absolutely crazy. The ring was literally vibrating because of how loud they were. That was absolutely incredible.
KRASH: Did your family get to see you win the title?
Sol: They had no idea but they’re ecstatic. They try and go out to as many matches as they can. And my grandma lives next door to us and she loves it. She wears my merch shirts all the time. It’s so cute.
KRASH: What’s your dream match?
Sol: My dream match was IYO for a really long time and I luckily had a match against her, which was really cool, and I would love to have many more with her. But I think now I really want to have a singles match with Charlotte Flair. We’ve had multi-person matches where we’ve been in the ring together and had a few moments, but we haven’t had that one-on-one. And I think that’s my next goal. Watch Sol Ruca each week on WWE RAW on Netflix
Watch Sol Ruca each week on WWE RAW on Netflix
