Valerie Loureda wants to be an inspiration in WWE on her way to headlining WrestleMania.
Loureda became the first Cuban-American woman to sign with the WWE on Wednesday. Following the news, Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post sat down with the former MMA Bellator prospect to discuss her goals, attending WrestleMania 38, and Ronda Rousey.
“Headlining WrestleMania is a dream and I’m gonna conquer that one day, but really my goal in WWE is I’m becoming the first Cuban-American woman, and I want to be a role model and an inspiration to young Latinas who can now see someone from their culture in WWE.
“I want to represent where I came from, my roots, and really bring a new edge into this company that’s never been seen before. This is a big win for Latinas all over the world. I was born and raised in Miami. I come from a family of immigrants. I just want to show young kids who are first-generation Americans that you can do anything as long as you apply yourself, and work very hard, and your dreams can come true — like me.”
“That was my first WWE show ever — I had never been to a live event,” Loureda said. “When I walked into the arena and saw the organization, the professionalism, the crowd and just the beautiful production that WrestleMania is — I just fell in love with it.”
The new signee also talked about watching Ronda Rousey and how that inspired her to enter the MMA world.
“I was looking for a way to make it to the Olympics [in Taekwondo], and that didn’t happen, and then my mom got Leukemia, and our family had to adjust. And then, one day, I saw Ronda fighting on the TV, and I said, ‘Wow, that woman is in MMA representing her sport, Judo, and I can to that with Taekwondo,’” Loureda recalled.
Read More: Valerie Loureda Discusses Signing With WWE, Aims To Debut On TV In 2022