Stephanie Vaquer on her whirlwind journey to WWE

Stephanie Vaquer recently opened up about her whirlwind journey to WWE, revealing the intense back-and-forth negotiations between WWE and AEW, and the emotional and personal stakes that made the decision so difficult. Her path to WWE wasn’t straightforward, and at one point, it seemed like she was headed to AEW due to financial constraints.

“It caught me by surprise, as I was still in talks with WWE,” Vaquer explained. After participating in a major match, she was contacted by WWE. “They said, ‘Are you interested in working with us?’ and I said, ‘Of course I am, what do you propose?’ They asked me afterwards, ‘Would you like to go to the Main Roster or NXT?’ and I said Main Roster first.” At the time, Vaquer was carrying significant responsibilities, holding major women’s championships in NJPW and CMLL. “I had a huge responsibility in me from the biggest companies in their respective countries.”

She initially tried to handle things calmly and professionally. WWE flew her to Toronto for contract talks, but “when I was already in Toronto at the hotel, people from AEW talked to me and said, ‘We know you are in Toronto, don’t sign,’ and then I said, ‘Now hold on, what are y’all offering?'” Torn between two dream offers, she turned to her father for advice. “I hadn’t eaten all week… I told them I’m going to get home because it’s my niece’s birthday and I’ll have an answer for everyone tomorrow. Let me analyze this.”

While WWE was her childhood dream, she weighed it carefully against her adult responsibilities. AEW offered to pay for her hotel, while WWE took a neutral stance. “I paid for my hotel and flight, so I didn’t favor anyone,” she said, declining WWE’s request to appear in the front row of an NXT event out of respect for her commitments. “WWE completely understood.”

Then came a pivotal moment: WWE appeared to bow out of the bidding war. “I told them what AEW was offering me, and they said ‘we can’t afford that. Thank you very much and good luck at AEW,’ and at that point I cried.” Her father was baffled, asking, “Why are you crying after being offered all that cash?” But for Vaquer, the decision wasn’t about money.

Everything shifted when she received a call from Shawn Michaels. “Stephanie, I know you understand English, and I want to talk to you personally. I’m Shawn Michaels, and I have this proposal.” When Michaels asked if money was the issue, she replied, “It wasn’t the money; this is my life, and I sacrificed my whole life for wrestling, and no money will pay for that.” His words had a profound effect. “Shawn Michaels understood that and told me some words I will keep for the rest of my life because they are words from a wise person who made me make the best decision.”

Source: Rock and Pop FM