Raquel Rodriguez Had A High School Crush On WWE Co-Star

WWE star Raquel Rodriguez never thought that John Cena would go from her adolescent crush to becoming an inspiration towards her rise to fame. In her interview on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," the current Women's Intercontinental Champion recalls when this innocent admiration for the former "Never Seen 17" World Champion began, and what drew her to him.

"I think it started back in high school, when I saw John Cena live and I developed a crush for him," Rodriguez said. "Then, I bought the inflatable hands...I remember hearing because I am from the border, which is a very small town. So, I remember hearing he went to Whataburger down in Hidalgo, and I was like, he loves Whataburger too. Oh, my God, he's the best."

Although it happened last year, Rodriguez remembers every minute she got to share the ring with Cena at Survivor Series as part of his "Farewell Tour." During his final-ever appearance on a Premium Live Event (PLE), "La Ruda" snuck into the ring and delivered her signature Tejana Bomb on him, which helped her teammate, "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio retrieve the Men's Intercontinental Championship in his hometown of San Diego, California. Though it was a big moment for their Judgment Day stable to regain a piece of gold, for Rodriguez, personally, it was a full-circle moment.

"But then, I started to really grow and learn from John Cena and see how he worked and his amazing trajectory with WWE and everything that he was able to accomplish. And then, being put in the Judgment Day, and suddenly getting this moment to be in a storyline with him and Dominik, and having an actual moment on a PLE with John Cena, all of that was just very, very mind-blowing," she added.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.