I didn't feel that I was ready to leave NXT. When I was called up to SmackDown, I was very nervous. I hadn't done many of the things at NXT that I thought I was supposed to. I didn't have a TakeOver match. I never held the title. I only had a few matches on NXT TV and to be called up and told, 'Well, here you go!'
The atmosphere we get with NXT and NXT fans, they're a die-hard group. They care deeply about NXT.
I had my very first match against NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks three weeks after I signed. I'm quite proud of that, but I can't explain how nervous I was.
I'm proud to be the standard-bearer for NXT.
I do believe that Raw, SmackDown, and NXT are the three brands, and I think that people can come from Raw or SmackDown to NXT, and I think that people from NXT can go to Raw or SmackDown. It's very interchangeable.
I'm proud of where NXT has come and all the girls and what they are accomplishing and how they have changed for the better.
Otis and I go way back to NXT and we've been friends since NXT, so it's very nice to know the person pretty well. You feel comfortable and I think it comes off more natural on TV as well, which is cool. He's obviously just so funny.
When I was in NXT, I never wrestled on a TakeOver. I didn't have too many high-profile matches: I probably wrestled about 10 matches in total on NXT TV, including the one championship match against Bayley, which was so much fun and my favorite match in NXT.
And I come from a very proud Hispanic family. We're proud to be Latino. We're proud to be Peruvian. And my dad's side is proud to be Puerto Rican.
When I was in NXT, I was going after the NXT Women's Championship and it never happened, I would constantly check in on my perspective.
Once upon a time, I liked to call myself 'The Grandfather of NXT' because I was one of the first to come up as I was, from NXT.
Emma gave me some of my favorite matches - the NXT Women's Tournament and then NXT ArRIVAL.
When I left NXT, I was kind of mad that I was never NXT champ, so when I got to the main roster, that was my first goal.
To be able to be the first person from NXT to defend their NXT Championship at WrestleMania is awesome and I love making history.
Now, I don't even consider NXT a developmental system. It's its own brand. So many guys were able to develop a following while in NXT.
I'm an NXT Superstar and the current NXT Champion.