Raquel Gonzalez: WWE Pushed Back On Me Using My Real Name, Victoria

Upon signing with WWE, it is common for developmental talents and Superstars to submit a list of names for their character to the company. 

Raquel Gonzalez was one such Superstar who presented a list of names to the company, including her real name, Victoria. Gonzalez revealed to Yahoo Sports that WWE weren't keen on her using Victoria, though, and she initially performed as Reina Gonzalez before her in-ring name was changed to Raquel in 2019. 

"The one [name] that they did push back on was Victoria, my actual name, because it had been used a couple of times, but González wasn't a problem. It was very important for me to keep it because my father went by Speedy González and Rick 'Desperado' González. I wanted to keep those initials. It was important for me to have a first name that started with R. I think that they loved the González part because it added something different to the women's division at the time," Raquel said.

Gonzalez is a second-generation wrestler as her father, Rick, performed on the independent scene in Texas. Raquel reflected on travelling with her father during her youth elsewhere in the interview.

"My dad used to wrestle when I was younger and I remember being on the road with him, my mom and my sister watching him. At a young age I told him I really wanted to do that and I was such a daddy's girl that I wanted to do everything that he was doing. Watching my dad wrestle here in south Texas and Louisiana, where the Hispanic culture is so strong and seeing the mix of luchadores and American wrestlers interact with each other, I always loved the passion," she added.