Roxanne Perez Had "No Idea" Her NXT Battleground Opponent Would Be TNA's Jordynne Grace
TNA and WWE will crossover for the very first time this Sunday, June 9, at NXT Battleground.
For the first time ever, TNA and WWE will crossover for NXT Battleground this Sunday. Roxanne Perez will put the NXT Women's Championship on the line against Jordynne Grace, the current TNA Knockouts World Champion. Grace made her WWE debut in the Royal Rumble earlier this year which was said to have impressed many WWE higher-ups.
Perez and Grace have never faced off against each other before, as Perez only appeared in TNA (IMPACT at the time) once. She and Deonna Purrazzo went head-to-head putting both the AAA Reina de Reinas and ROH Women's Championships on the line. Purrazzo ended up defeating the young champion as she would quickly move up to NXT shortly after.
Roxanne Perez Was Shocked By Jordynne Grace Reveal on NXT
Grace's NXT appearance shocked many fans, but they weren't the only ones stunned by her debut. Perez herself apparently had no idea that her opponent would be Grace and she found out in that moment. Perez told Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture that she had a few names she was tossing around like Tegan Nox and Naomi, but none of them were outside of the WWE. As for her reaction, she was initially shocked but says she's "ready" for her so she can put herself to the test against The Juggernaut.
"I had no idea it was going to be Jordynne. The weeks leading up to it, I was pretty excited to see who I was going to face and who was going to step inside the ring with me," Perez said. "It ended up being Jordynne Grace. That was not even one of the name that crossed my mind because she is with TNA. It's so cool that we get to make this history and be part of some ground breaking stuff."
The show won't only be making history for the historic NXTNA crossover. The first ever NXT Women's North American champion will be crowned in a Six-Pack Ladder Match. Additionally, Lola Vice will go one-on-one with Shayna Baszler in an NXT Underground match. Vice was part of the unforgettable inaugural women's underground match where she defeated Natalya. Baszler was by her side for it but now she aims to prove that she can defeat the Queen of Spades. Elsewhere, former AEW star Ethan Page will challenge Trick Williams for the NXT Championship after making his own shocking debut just a week and a half ago.
NXT Battleground Card
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NXT Women's Championship: Roxanne Perez (c) vs. TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace
- NXT Championship: Trick Williams (c) vs. Ethan Page
- NXT Women's North American Title: Six-Pack Ladder Match
- NXT Underground: Shayna Baszler vs. Lola Vice
- NXT Tag Team Championships: Nathan Frazier and Axiom (c) vs. The O.C.
- NXT North American Chanpionship: Oba Femi (c) vs. Wes Lee vs. Joe Coffey
NXT Battleground is live from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. ET on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.
