Giulia made her highly anticipated debut for NXT when she appeared at Sunday’s No Mercy event.
Giulia appeared and entered the ring after NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez retained against Jaida Parker. Additional information about Giulia’s arrival and what’s next has been provided by Fightful Select.
Fightful Select’s Corey Brennan reported prior to the show that a segment was rehearsed that fits what fans saw with Giulia at No Mercy, with a producer and stock music being used as stand ins for Giulia during said rehearsal. This marks a change to how NXT usually prepares for surprise appearances, as Shawn Michaels has routinely stood in for surprise debuts and returns in the past.
When asking about her presentation following her debut, Brennan was told that while Gloria was attainable as theme music for Giulia, it was never strongly considered and a new theme was produced specifically for her debut. We are also told that the excess amount of fog and the lights being turned out were intentional methods to draw out the surprise even longer with one source pointing to the lack of a tron until Giulia emerged from the fog. There was a lot of secrecy regarding Giulia’s debut as one would expect, with sources in NXT not seeing her until moments before the finish of Roxanne Perez vs Jaida Parker.
Regarding her creative, Brennan has long been told that WWE had big plans for a Giulia and Roxanne Perez matchup dating all the way back to NXT Stand And Deliver, where Giulia was shown in the crowd prior to Perez’ title win over Lyra Valkyria. We have not heard for sure if Roxanne was kept in the dark regarding Giulia’s appearance, as she has in the past, but one source noted that “they wouldn’t be surprised” if Perez was kept out of the loop once again. When asking if anyone else was considered for the mystery spot, Brennan was met with firm no’s, with plans to debut the likes of Delta and Stephanie Vaquer coming at later dates.
Giulia’s hard date for beginning with NXT was said to be No Mercy, allowing her to finish off her Marigold dates, including her final date that was added in order for her to compete in a gauntlet match against anyone who wanted to wrestle her before she left. From those we spoke to within NXT, there was no heat on her for extending her time with Marigold, as it was known as a possibility even prior to her fractured wrist. As one would expect, her peers in Japan were all said to be legitimately happy to see her on the big stage in the US when we asked. In terms of reactions within NXT, several talents we spoke with were excited to see the additional star power brought to the brand and specifically, the women’s division.
Sources in NXT tell Brennan that the most likely landing spot for Giulia vs Perez is the Chicago CW debut, but would not be surprised to see Giulia wrestle on NXT prior to this matchup. There is also little concern with Giulia changing up her style now she is in NXT, with concerns of her being ‘too stiff’ being waved off by several sources back when she signed in April.
While asking about how long Giulia is expected to stay in NXT, Brennan was told that Giulia had signed a long term deal with the company and that her tenure in the brand will be relative to how fast she takes to the American television style.
As one would expect, Giulia is expected to appear on tonight’s edition of NXT to make her television debut for the brand. As we reported back in April, Giulia is expected to be presented as one of the brand’s top stars as WWE make a home for themselves on The CW.
