Before her recent return, Raquel Rodriguez had been absent from WWE television for several months as she battled Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. She made her comeback at Bad Blood, where she came to Liv Morgan’s aid in a showdown against Rhea Ripley. In a candid interview with Wrestlerant Radio (via Fightful), Rodriguez opened up about her mindset during the time away from the ring and the challenges she faced after being forced to step back due to her health issues.
Raquel Rodriguez said:
“That’s definitely something that crosses someone’s mind as an athlete, as a wrestler, if you get injured or you get sick. you definitely put in a position where you’re going, going, going with appearances, wrestling on TV, all these things, and then all of a sudden, it just stops, and time almost feels like it stands still, and you’re like, okay, well I’m here, but what do I do? How do I find my purpose? [That’s] really the key question that I think comes into your mind because we can get very confused. Me for instance, this has been my dream since I was a little girl, I’ve been watching my dad wrestle, I’ve been trying to get into this since I was a little girl. I’ve been fighting ever since the day I signed that contract to be here, I’ve been fighting every day to prove myself as a worthy contender, as a worthy WWE superstar for the company. So for all of that to just get taken away, I almost felt lost because it was like my identity, my purpose, my whole reason for working hard was ripped from me, and now I can’t work out. I can’t strain myself too hard, I can’t eat certain things, I don’t want to be outside, I don’t want people to see me this way because I don’t feel good, I feel gross. So yeah, you definitely have to think, ‘What if I just don’t go back? What am I going to do next?’ So I did have those thoughts running through my mind quite a bit, but I’m really, really grateful to my sister, Liv [Morgan], who never stopped being there for me throughout any of the days. She messaged me, she checked up on me, even when she was dealing with her arm injury and having all the stress of her coming back and her wrestling Rhea and winning the Women’s Title, it was a lot on her plate. To know that she had all of that going on and still had the time to think about me, to reach out to me, to send me things, it made me feel like I found someone absolutely loyal to me and who’s willing to be there for me. That turned the page in my head. I thought, when I do get healthy again, because I know I’m gonna get healthy again, when I do step back into that ring, that is one person I’m going to support 110%. Coming back, there was no question about what side I was going to be on. It was always going to be Liv Morgan’s side.“
“I’m just so happy to be able to be back and to be in the full swing of things. It’s so nice being on the road with my friends again, being at work. I love showing up to Raw and SmackDown and hanging out at TV all day. It’s just one of the best things that we can do, so from now on, I told myself I’m not taking any of these days for granted, any of these opportunities for granted. I know that this can go just as quickly as it comes. I’ve felt it. I just want to take every day for what it is and be happy and enjoy and be victorious at it too because winning while you’re doing it is even better [laughs] … Since I’ve been back, it has been so much fun, I absolutely love getting to be with Liv Morgan. We’re on the road together. Judgment Day, being part of that crew, oh my gosh, Dominik, Carlito, Finn, JD, they are hilarious. I love getting to be in the clubhouse. I feel like a whole new person. So it’s been absolutely amazing since I’ve been back, and I’m just so glad to be in the full swing of things”
