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Not At 100%, Stephanie Vaquer Guts Out Championship Performance At WWE Wrestlepalooza

Stephanie Vaquer is the new Women's World Champion after defeating IYO SKY at WWE Wrestlepalooza.
Rick Ucchino|
Stephanie Vaquer
Stephanie Vaquer | WWE

"I will be champion."

Stephanie Vaquer spoke those words with the utmost confidence Friday afternoon while we chatted in the main lobby of the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. She wasn't entirely sure that her premonition would come to fruition at Wrestlepalooza, but La Primera knew deep down it would happen one day.

Her day has arrived. Vaquer defeated IYO SKY live on ESPN Saturday night to capture the Women's World Championship for the first time in her career, less than a year after she made her on-screen debut for WWE.

By her own admission, Stephanie did not walk into Wrestlepalooza at her physical best. She told The Takedown on SI that her strength and conditioning took a bit of a hit in the weeks leading up to the biggest match of her life to date.

"To be honest, the last three weeks I was no good. I was sick. My body [does] not feel like a hundred percent," Vaquer said on Friday. "I feel a little weak. I could not train really good the last month, but when I [was] back last Monday, I really feel the people and I really feel everything and really forget everything about that."

Her connection to the WWE Universe never faltered during the few weeks she spent on the sidelines. When she walked out to the ring Monday night in Springfield, Massachusetts, the energy of live crowd provided her the type of power boost that could aptly be compared to Superman under the Earth's yellow sun.

Had you been able to see the look in her eyes as we spoke, you'd understand that the previous sentence was not as hyperbolic as it sounded.

Stephanie Vaquer
Stephanie Vaquer | WWE

"In that moment (lets out sigh of relief), I'm back. I'm here. I need wrestling. I need people. I need this," Vaquer said. "Sometimes you don't fight with the body, you fight with the heart."

If Vaquer had been feeling any lingering effects of her undisclosed illness, she showed absolutely no signs of it in this past Monday on Raw.

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The Dark Angel defeated Kairi Sane in her first match since the end of July, the result of which was far from the most important aspect when it came to her prep for Wrestlepalooza.

"Kairi is amazing and [it was] a really good match, but for me that day, it was like okay, I'm here. I'm back and I need to feel my body ready, because I have five days."

Vaquer would travel from Springfield to Full Sail University in the suburbs of Orlando, Florida for NXT Homecoming the following night for a Six-Woman Tag Team Match. Another important tune up ahead of her clash with the Genius of the Sky.

"It's an honor to stand in the same ring with IYO. She's amazing," Vaquer said. "Every time with IYO, I learn something new."

Saturday night, live on ESPN and with her father in attendance to watch her wrestle live for the first time ever, she learned how to become a World Champion.

What started off as a back-and-forth exhibition of each woman's technical prowess, Vaquer and SKY soon emptied out their arsenal of trademark maneuvers. IYO was able to survive the Devil's Kiss and the SVB, but after coming up empty on a moonsault attempt, The Dark Angel connected on a picture perfect Spiral Tap to capture the gold.

Vaquer is the first woman to hold the Women's World Championship in over a month. The former champion, Naomi, was forced to relinquish her title as she is now expecting her first child. She was originally scheduled to face off against Stephanie Vaquer last month at Clash in Paris, if she had defeated IYO SKY on the August 11 edition of Monday Night Raw.

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Published | Modified
Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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