My colleague Jon Velez-Jackson provided a write-up on Tuesday, covering Sol Ruca’s reaction to negative online criticism she’s been receiving as of late.
Before I add my hate log to that fire, there was this quote from Ruca on WWE Now, which I absolutely love:
“But at the end of the day, especially with people on social media – that’s such a small percentage of our fan base – and as long as the crowd in-person is happy and, everyone backstage is happy with what I do, then that’s fine with me.”
This. So this.
I’m a big believer in audience reactions telling a more accurate story than what fans read online. Heck, I’m seeing it now as it relates to Roman Reigns and his revived Bloodline saga.
As the IWC cries “boring rehash,” Turin, Italy, like other cities, was going gaga for the Tribal Chief, serenading him for several minutes on Raw before finally letting him speak.
Speaking of Turin, that’s where Ruca won the title Sunday at Clash In Italy, then issued her first public address as champ on Raw. Each night, fans there gave her the royal treatment. Despite some setbacks, mostly around the execution of her signature move, the Sol Snatcher, Ruca has received similar responses outside of Italy.
Look, I get it. I see what WWE and almost everyone else sees: a future great who’s athletic, has physical charisma, and is easy on the eyes.
The problem, which seems to exist only online, is that, like Reigns in 2014, she’s in that territory of getting pushed to the moon while still on the come-up. Sunday’s win over Becky Lynch marked Ruca’s third title win in a year, having previously won the Speed and NXT North American titles in 2025.
She was also the 2023 Rookie of the Year, as voted by readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
That’s a lot of accolades for someone who, if we’re being honest, doesn’t have a clearly defined character, other than she likes surfing. Nor does she have complete mastery of her defining move. As her last feud in NXT with Zaria showed, her promos don’t always generate the right response, leading to support for the heel.
Of course, that will come with time.
Now, I’d like to believe that it’s a different time and that crowds will be more forgiving. But when she stutters and sputters on the mic and in the ring — and she will, because remember she’s still new — it’ll be interesting to see if fans remain patient and understanding.
Having read all that, you might be thinking, That wasn’t so bad. I thought G0MEZ would be way more critical than that.
Not so fast — here’s my big gripe: On Raw, she promised to be a fighting champion.
Then she took the rest of the night off.
In reality, I should hold that over WWE creative boss Paul Levesque for having her repeat that tired babyface line. But as someone who snacks mostly on kayfabe, Ruca’s nauseating empty promise left me hungry to see her drop the strap — just not to Lyra Valkyria, another impostor I take issue with, which you can read about here.
