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Sol Ruca gets the opportunity of a lifetime this weekend when she battles a WWE pioneer in Bayley at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
The match coincides with John Cena’s final match of his WWE in-ring career. Cena will face Gunther, who earned the right to fight the 17-time WWE Champion by winning the Last Time Is Now tournament.
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Sol Ruca enters the ring during NXT at the WWE Performance Center on June 17, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Kevin Sabitus/WWE via Getty Images)
Ruca, who primarily plays on the NXT brand, told Pakinomist Digital in a recent interview that she was as excited as ever for the opportunity to go up against someone like Bayley.
“I’m so excited, especially being so new to the business and going up against someone like Bayley who’s been doing this so much longer than me,” she said. “I’m just really excited to learn. I’m really excited to be in that type of environment. I’m really excited to just put it all out there and just have fun to be honest.”
Bayley was among the professional women’s wrestlers who rose to the main roster as part of the Women’s Revolution. She was a fan favorite almost immediately before turning heel and joining the Damage CTRL faction. Now she has been cornered by Lyra Valkyria as the two try to make an impact in the tag team department.
She is a four-time WWE Women’s Champion and a two-time Women’s Tag Team Champion.
Bayley poses ringside during “Monday Night Raw” at the American Airlines Center on October 6, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. (Bradlee Rutledge/WWE via Getty Images)
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Ruca praised Bayley for being someone who has lent her expertise to younger professional wrestlers like her.
“She’s definitely been around the (WWE Performance Center) a few times,” she told Pakinomist Digital. “I think when I was really, really new to it, she jumped into a class with us and we got to wrestle with her and I’ve seen her in the locker room a few times like being up on Raw and SmackDown recently. She’s really sweet and she’s really open to letting us learn and just being a good role model.”
Ruca’s appearance on Saturday Night’s Main Event card will forever be etched in history. She will be among the few NXT stars who will be given the opportunity to truly showcase their talent.
“I’m honored and I’m really proud of myself for the last year and just putting myself out there, even just to be in this world of professional wrestling,” she told Pakinomist Digital. “I’m a pretty reserved and shy person. So I feel like I’ve pushed myself a lot this past year and I’m really proud of myself to be in this position and really honored to be a part of it.
“Like, yeah, I want to be a part of making history and I feel like this last year has had the common thread of, you know, being a dual champion and being a speed champion and a North American champion and then going after the tag titles with my tag partner and then now being on John Cena’s last show and also him choosing me to be a part of Deadline.”
Zaria and NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca interrupt Fatal Influence during NXT at the WWE Performance Center on July 15, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Andrea Kellaway/WWE)
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The final match will take place in Washington, DC at 8 p.m. ET. The event will be streamed on Peacock.
