Recent weeks have seen a reinvigorated, more aggressive Roxanne Perez clawing her way back up the “WWE NXT” ladder. However, during Tuesday’s “NXT” Women’s Championship contract signing, Perez took a more passive approach, leaving her “NXT” Vengeance Day opponent, Lyra Valkyria, virtually unscathed.

Now hear me out — not all contract signings need to include a burst of violence (this one eventually did at the end, at the hands of Tatum Paxley), but at the very least, the words exchanged by the signers should feel impassioned and/or impactful. A week before Valkyria and Perez inked their signatures on the dotted line, Perez overcame 19 other women to earn a major championship opportunity. Afterward, Perez cut an intensely-fueled promo backstage, reiterating her claim to being the best woman in the “NXT” locker room. While Perez may have endured a rollercoaster ride in 2023, she insisted that nothing, and certainly, no one, could break her now.

In comparison to this previous line of speaking, her interaction with Valkyria on Tuesday’s “NXT” felt a bit lackluster. “The Prodigy” made a noteworthy callback by mentioning that she never technically lost the “NXT” Women’s Championship last year, to which Valkyria then stated that she had since replaced Perez at the top of the “NXT” women’s division. In response, Perez informed Valkyria that she will be losing her title at Vengeance Day on February 4, and afterward, Valkyria will begin doubting herself — much like Perez did after the title fell out of her grasp last year.

With Perez seemingly on the brink of a heel turn, her character may have fared better by taking harsher digs at Valkyria. Valkyria herself even described Perez’s current presentation as “edgy,” giving Perez an opening to further convince the audience that this label is accurate. Unfortunately, Perez’s words didn’t feel edgy enough on this night.

Written by Ella Jay