New WWE Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer revealed that her WrestlePalooza title win almost didn’t happen. In a vlog released on WWE’s Spanish-language YouTube channel, she disclosed that the company considered canceling her match against IYO SKY because she was not medically cleared following a recent illness.
Vaquer explained that she had been sick for nearly three weeks. The situation escalated on September 22, the day of Monday Night Raw, when the medical team initially barred her from competing. WWE executives removed her from the show and told her that missing Raw would also mean losing her WrestlePalooza spot.
A last-minute medical evaluation saved the match. Vaquer said she was cleared around noon on Monday and immediately traveled to make the Raw broadcast, describing how close she came to losing the biggest opportunity of her career. “What happened was, unfortunately, I had not been feeling well for the past two weeks. I was sick, so I did not feel good physically and, on Sunday, the medical team told me not to participate on Raw on Monday. They spoke with the executives, and I was removed from Raw. They also told me that if I could not make it to Raw, I would no longer be part of Wrestlepalooza, which I completely understood, but I still felt healthy enough to wrestle, so I did everything possible. On Monday morning, I went to the doctor, and by noon, I was cleared to compete. Around 12 pm and 2 pm, I was already on the airport to head to Raw. Everything was very last-minute, and they were even preparing to announce that I was not cleared for Wrestlepalooza on Saturday.” (h/t Fightful)
Despite the health scare, Vaquer went on to defeat IYO SKY at WrestlePalooza in Indianapolis, capturing the vacant WWE Women’s World Championship. The victory was historic, making her the first South American-born women’s world champion in company history. Even with clearance, she admitted she was not at full strength but was motivated by passion. “It is hard to fully heal in just five days, but you do not always wrestle with your body; you wrestle with your heart. While my body might not be one hundred percent, my heart is always one hundred percent.”
On the September 22 edition of Raw in Evansville, Indiana, Vaquer addressed the WWE Universe for the first time as champion, promising to make history with her reign. Her first major defense is already set for Crown Jewel on October 11 in Perth, Australia. General Manager Adam Pearce confirmed she will compete in a champion vs. champion match against the winner of this Friday’s SmackDown Triple Threat between Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, and Nia Jax.