Advice from wrestling veterans can sometimes fall on deaf ears. In an era where bitterness, judgment, and out-of-date opinions have sometimes hampered the wrestling sphere, there are still some instances in which advice from legends is actually correct, beneficial, and should be listened to. In the case of WWE women’s division member Raquel Rodriguez, she recently received some advice from former WWE and WCW World Champion Kevin Nash, who gave his Hall of Fame opinion of her work and what she needs to do to improve between the ropes. This advice has ultimately changed Rodriguez’s WWE career for the absolute better.
Kevin Nash Gave Raquel Rodriguez Advice About Her Wrestling Style
- Nash spoke strongly about Rodriguez on his Kliq This podcast.
- He criticized her for wrestling too small against her opponents.
- He suggested that she needed to work like a larger competitor.
Veterans often dish out advice to the stars of today, sometimes in bad faith but often with good intentions. In the case of Kevin Nash, he clearly sees some potential in WWE’s Raquel Rodriguez, owing to his need to air his grievances about the way she works, and how she should change her style. Speaking on his Kliq This podcast, Nash discussed how Rodriguez should wrestle more as a larger competitor.
“I get pissed off at her because she always works down. She works small. I’ll see her selling and she’ll make herself small instead of staying up and selling big, like moving your hands this way instead of dropping so you can get drop down to them. They got to teeter to knock you off your f***ing base when you’re that much bigger than them. You can work 20, 30 seconds of just teetering where then that person hits the ropes. Oh, here it comes now and then she gets her foot up, boom, cuts her off. She’s working too small. As a person tries to knock you down, then they use more momentum, eventually you want them to use the ropes, which now here comes the high spot that either you’re going to take the bump or in this case if you’re getting heat, then you cut the person off.” (h/t PWMania)
Nash is considered one of the best big men of all time, both in WWE as Diesel and WCW as Kevin Nash. This “bigger” style he speaks about was mastered by the likes of Big Show, Andre the Giant, and others, who were fantastic at feeling so much larger than their opponent, prompting pops at just taking a single bump.
Raquel Rodriguez Has Been A Big Part Of WWE’s Women’s Division
- Rodriguez took Nash’s advice in stride.
- She has been a great part of the tag team division with Roxanne Perez.
- Raquel has improved dramatically in the ring.
There can be two avenues to go down when advice comes from a legend; ignoring it and thinking that you know better, or listening and taking it in their stride. In the case of Rodriguez, she revealed when speaking to Shak Wrestling that she took Nash’s advice and implemented it.
“Yeah, I mean if that’s coming from Kevin Nash, I fully take that to heart. I mean, if he thinks I’m working too small, Mr. Nash, sir, with all due respect, I’m gonna start working bigger. And I hope you are able to tune in some more and watch Raquel Rodriguez grow and get a little bit bigger every single time. Because if anybody knows how to be a cool guy, if anybody knows how to be a strong, big guy, it’s Kevin Nash. He set the bar for us.” (h/t WrestleZone)
Rodriguez received a lot of comparison to Nash during her time in NXT especially, and she has clearly taken influence from the ‘Big Daddy Cool’ act with her gear and presentation. Ever since taking this advice, Rodriguez’s work has improved tenfold, and she has become a highlight in the women’s division, having her best matches in years and carrying the tag team division alongside Roxanne Perez.
Raquel Rodriguez Was Struggling Before Kevin Nash’s Advice
- Rodriguez was not achieving her WWE potential with a bland babyface gimmick.
- She looked great in NXT, but dropped on the main roster.
- Raquel could soon be a singles title contender.
After showing a lot of promise in NXT, climbing the ranks to become the NXT Women’s Champion, Rodriguez’s time on the main roster flopped quickly. With a cheesy, bland babyface gimmick, her momentum continued to drop. She no longer felt like a dominant force of nature or badass powerhouse, and instead settled into just being another name on the roster. After her 2024 heel turn, things were still not changing and Rodriguez didn’t have much of a presence.
However, there has been a distinct switch in 2025 and, after taking Nash’s advice, Rodriguez now looks like someone who could break out as a title contender in the singles division at some point based upon her current work. Things are on the up, and she could perhaps soon reach the level of popularity and presence she held in NXT.
