When WWE signed the wrestler then known as Rok-C to a developmental contract with NXT, it was a pretty big deal in the world of professional wrestling.

Though far from a household name, Rok-C made waves in the indies where, after training at Booker T's wrestling school during her teenage years, she beat out the odds and won the inaugural Ring of Honor Women's Championship well before her 21st birthday. Beating out the likes of Angelina Love, Sumie Sakai, Quinn McKay, and Miranda Alize for the strap – a quartet of women who have more combined ring experience than she had years alive – Rok-C looked like one of the brightest young female stars to grace the Indies in a very long time, with big things surely ahead in the future.

But then, Ring of Honor announced their hiatus, (almost) all talent contracts were terminated, and Rok-C's immediate future was cast into disarray. Sure, she still had a few quality title defenses, including wins over Willow Nightengale and Gia Scott in ROH and at Warrior versus Laynie Luck, but her future was up in the air, with either a full-time move to another promotion or a Ronin-like journey around independent promotions the world over fighting for a belt without an active promotion Jonathan Gresham-style as her potential options.

Fortunately, WWE came calling, the terms were right, and after a job to Deonna Purrazzo on Impact, Rok-C became Roxanne Perez, the friend of Cora Jade, who quickly found a home on NXT.

Roxanne Perez has found a home in NXT.

Wrestling as a plucky young babyface with a burning desire to win, Perez has been booked very well in her new home. Though she hasn't fielded a serious challenge for Mandy Rose's NXT Women's Championship just yet – emphasis on just yet – losing their lone bout together back in April, Perez has been victorious in every other match she's been booked in, including a big win over Tiffany Stratton to win the WWE NXT Women's Breakout Tournament.

Considering Mandy Rose's spot at the top of NXT's women's roster is sort of antithetical to the whole point of a developmental program designed to create new stars for the main roster, don't be too surprised if a change at the top of the card happens in the not-too-distant future, maybe even before Perez's 21st birthday on November 5th, 2022.

Now granted, Perez doesn't exactly fit the mold of what Vince McMahon has been looking for in his WWE Superstars of the future. She isn't a college athlete, is on the smaller side, and *gasp* wrestled on the Indies instead of learning the ins and outs of the sport at the Performance Center, but goodness, there's a reason Perez was called “The Prodigy” on the Indies and why she was able to overcome those perceived deficiencies to join an NXT class riddled with former college stars and legacy would-be athletes: She can go at a very, very, very, very, very high level.

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If WWE wants to stick with what's been working, they have a legion of promising young performers in their developmental pipeline just waiting for an opportunity to prove their worth on an episode of Raw or Smackdown. These performers had never hit a Code Red before landing in Orlando and may have never even heard of Ring of Honor before and could still end up having fantastic careers. But if the Fed is willing to think outside of the box and pursue the next A.J. Lee, well, then they need to tie a rocket to Roxanne Perez and make her the top babyface on NXT.