What to know about the WWE brands

WWE is a huge franchise with multiple distinct brands.

The talent pool has been split between Raw and Smackdown since 2002.

The brands were originally the names of the two most popular shows but as the franchise expanded, they became their own brands.

Raw and Smackdown have separate storylines and are broadcasted at different times to give more wrestlers exposure.

WWE is entertainment-based

WWE events are entertainment-based performance theater rather than actual competitions, as is the case with other professional wrestling promotions.

These contain narrative-driven, planned, and partially choreographed fights; nonetheless, fights frequently entail movements that, if executed incorrectly, can put performers at risk of injury, or even death.

Vince McMahon, the owner of WWE, recognized the predetermined nature of professional wrestling in public in 1989 in order to avoid paying taxes on athletic commissions.

Recognizing that wrestling has its roots in both dramatic theater and competitive sport, WWE markets its product as sports entertainment.

Inside Roxanne Perez's rise to fame

Roxanne Perez toured across Texas during her earlier years as a competitor, winning the ROW Diamonds Division Championship.

She got her big break on Ring of Honor, before the WWE came calling in March 2022.

Upon signing with WWE's developmental brand NXT she changed her ring name to Roxanne Perez.

On August 15, she made her long-awaited WWE debut and defeated Sloane Jacobs.

This year has been a maelstrom for Perez, whose rapid rise up the ranks culminated with her epic win over Rose to take the NXT Women's Championship.

Roxanne Perez's real name revealed

Born in Texas in 2001, Roxanne Perez - real name Carla Gonzalez - grew up idolizing the WWE stars of the late 1990s and 2000s.

She began training at the age of just 13, before joining up with the legendary trainer Booker T three years later.

Perez would make her debut at 18 years old in Booker's own promotion, Reality of Wrestling.

She fought under the name Rok-C, which was in honor of her favorite wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Perez explained: "I kind of switched up the letters a little bit, and then I use the dash.

"The C stands for my name, Carla."

About Roxanne Perez

Known as The Prodigy, Roxanne Perez defeated Mandy Rose on December 13 to end the champ's 413-day reign.

Perez took the belt just a day before Rose was let go by WWE for posting racy content on her social media pages.

And the emotion got the better of the 21-year-old, who had just days earlier won her first-ever Iron Survivor Challenge.

She said: "I was 14 years old [when I vowed] I'm going do everything I can to make sure that I get to the WWE.

"No matter what it takes, I'm going to get there.

"And my whole life revolved around wrestling up until now."

Booker T sobbed during WWE match

In December, two-time Hall of Famer Booker T broke down in tears after Roxanne Perez beat Zoey Stark, Cora Jade, Kiana James and Indi Hartwell in the inaugural Iron Survivor Challenge match.

As a result of Perez's win, SportsKeeda reported that she will likely fight Mandy Rose for a shot at the NXT Women's Championship.

It seems that all of this was too much for Booker T, who had trained Perez.

Initially laughing uncontrollably with a big grin beaming, Booker T turned away as he appeared to shed a tear or two in glee.

And fans loved seeing these raw emotions from the former WCW Champion, with one commenting: "Ol' King @BookerT5x is just beyond elated for @roxanne_wwe ! Gotta love it! #NXTDeadline"

After Perez's win, Booker T tweeted: "Big ups to @roxanne_wwe! #NXTDeadline"