Sol Ruca Says She Never Watched Wrestling Before Signing With WWE

Sol Ruca’s path to WWE isn’t your typical story of childhood dreams and posters on the bedroom wall. In fact, she didn’t even know what pro wrestling was until WWE came knocking.

During her recent appearance on Going Ringside with Scott Johnson, the rising WWE NXT star admitted she had zero exposure to wrestling growing up. When asked if she watched it as a kid, her answer said it all, “No.”

Pressed further on when she first encountered the idea of becoming a wrestler, she didn’t hesitate, “Uh, when I got signed.”

That’s right—Sol Ruca entered the WWE system without ever being a fan. But that doesn’t mean she lacks passion for what she’s doing now. In fact, she’s grateful for the unexpected route her life took, even if she does wish things had been different earlier.

“Looking back now, I wish that I would have been exposed to it sooner because I think if I would have saw it, I would have been like, ‘This is what I want to do with my life.’ Like, I would have been set on that. But didn’t end up that way. But I still ended up here. So I’m very, very thankful for my journey.”

Sol credits her background in gymnastics and competitive acrobatics at the University of Oregon for preparing her body and mind for pro wrestling’s physical grind.

“I was, you know, a gymnast. So, I went to University of Oregon and got some acrobatics and tumbling experience and I think those things kind of led me here and made me be who I am and kind of helped me with my success.”

Despite being a latecomer to the wrestling world, Sol Ruca is quickly becoming one of NXT’s most unique athletes—proving that it’s not how you start, but where you land.