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WWE NXT is now seen as the official third brand of the largest wrestling company in the world. Triple H launched the big idea, but Shawn Michaels leads the charge these days. The all-time great has brought unique expertise to the internal WWE machine, and now one champion has spilled the beans on how she closed their deal.
Stephanie Vaquer is the current NXT Women's Champion. Until recently she was the first and only superstar to hold the title and the NXT Women's North American Championship simultaneously. WWE aggressively pursued the Chilean grappler after last summer's AEW loss to Mercedes Moné, which came while she was a dual CMLL champion and NJPW champion. Vaquer signed and debuted for WWE amid interest from Tony Khan, who was not happy with how everything went down.
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Dark Angel went viral today after dishing on her WWE-AEW contract negotiations, and what made her realize she cared more about WWE. Speaking to Rock & Pop FM in Chile, Vaquer revealed how she took a day to decide following talks with both companies. That's when she received a phone call from The Heartbreak Kid at her hotel. Vaquer agreed a lot with what Michaels said, especially one particular line: "A person could make $100 million and be unhappy if they were not doing what they love." The 32-year-old recalled taking the call:
"I was in the hotel that night [after an emotional advice-filled phone call with her father], and they called me. I answered completely normal, and Shawn Michaels said, 'Stephanie, I know you understand English and I want to talk to you personally. I'm Shawn Michaels, and I've got this proposal and [he explained everything] and said that's it, [are you hesitating] about money?' And I said, 'No, it's not about the money. It's my life,'" Stephanie Vaquer said via Google Translation.
Vaquer passed on AEW's offer the next day and accepted the World Wrestling Entertainment contract. She recalled how Michaels understood where she was coming from because, as he said, he made sacrifices in his life for pro wrestling as well. Vaquer added that the two-time Hall of Famer said a few words that she would keep to herself as they really helped her make the best decision.
AEW tournament honoring WWE Legend Owen Hart continues
The Owen Hart Foundation Tournaments will continue on Wednesday's AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru. The highlight will see Adam Page face the surprise Wild Card entrant to wrap up the first round.
Dynamite will also feature Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita in the semi-finals, with the winner earning a spot in the finals at Double Or Nothing on May 25. Kyle Fletcher will face Page or the Wild Card at a later date to determine Ospreay's opponent in the finals.
Dynamite will also see the women's quarter-finals continue with the long-awaited Mercedes Moné vs. Athena match. Jamie Hayter vs. Kris Statlander is set for a later date to determine the Double Or Nothing opponent for Mercedes or Athena.
