WWE NXT Women's Champion Giulia Discusses Her Challenges With America's Wrestling Style

Just four months after making her WWE debut at NXT No Mercy, Giulia now sits alone atop of the NXT Women's Division.
The international Superstar defeated Roxanne Perez at NXT New Year's Evil on Tuesday to end the Prodigy's 276 day reign as NXT Women's Champion.
Giulia arrived in NXT with much fanfare and a fair amount of hype from folks like Shawn Michaels. She's more than lived up to the lofty expectations thus far, but recently admitted that it was a bit of struggle for her to adjust to wrestling for WWE television.
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"There are commercial breaks and time limits, and NXT has a lot of young wrestlers. Everyone is trying to show what they're good at in the limited time," Giulia said. "The tempo of the match is also faster, and it's completely different from Japanese wrestling. Even if you hit the opponent with a move, they keep getting up one after another, so it doesn't stop. At first, I was really confused and thought, 'I don't get it (laughs).'"
Giulia told Tokyo Sports that it was a challenge finding that perfect balance between the American and Japanese styles of wrestling, but she soon realized that she didn't need to fully compromise who she is as a performer to make it in NXT.
.@roxanne_wwe and @giulia0221g battle it out for the NXT Women's Championship in an EPIC match to kick off #NewYearsEvil. #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/koUhXCNUec
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 9, 2025
"At first I thought, 'What should I do? I have to adapt to their style,' but then I realized, 'No, I can't.' I've built something up over my seven-year career. Pro wrestling isn't just about using your moves. Once I made the switch to "calm down and play the match," I was able to step into the ring with a more relaxed mindset."
Giulia says her NXT Championship victory is going to open a door to all new opportunities and opponents, and while she's excited to tackle them head-on, she tells Tokyo Sports that she has aspirations of making it to the main roster as quickly as possible.
To accomplish that goal, Giulia knows it's going to take continued hard work both inside and outside the ring. A primary focus for the new NXT Women's Champion since arriving in WWE has been to study the English language. She says she'll keep practicing until she feels she can cut a 'proper' promo.
"I take English lessons twice a week, but that's not enough. I study at home and increase my opportunities to learn in my daily life until I can understand it. In Japan, we valued language, so I think that microphone appeal is important as a professional wrestler. That's why I don't think for a second that [my English] is fine the way it is now."
Disclaimer: Translations courtesy of Google Translate.
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