WWE NXT: Cora Jade Talks ‘Halloween Havoc’ & Reveals Who Helped Ready Her Comeback

WWE’s NXT premiere on The CW was memorable for many reasons. The historic show saw the return of Cora Jade after tearing her ACL, MCL, and meniscus at the start of 2024 during a live event. In a surprising turn, Jade helped former friend turned rival Roxanne Perez retain the NXT Women’s Championship. 

Now the 23-year-old is set to have her first match back in more than nine months at Halloween Havoc. She’ll team with Perez to take on the international superstars Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer. Ahead of the big tag team match, the emerging talent talks about her road to recovery and where she wants to take this “Generation of Jade” next. 

There were a few months when you weren’t on TV. Then you finally got back into the mix, you had the injury not long after. What does that do to you as someone so young and early on in their career? 

Cora Jade: It was a very confusing process overall. The physical aspect is one thing, but it’s mostly all mental. Wondering if my spot will still be there when I come back. Am I still going to have that confidence? All that stuff. Being as young as I am, I feel like it was also a good thing to have that on my side because in the back of my head I thought, “You still have time. This is just an injury. You’ll be fine.” I was a big Seth Rollins fan when I was younger. I remember watching his whole knee injury recovery on the WWE 24 documentary. I had an idea what to expect from that. All the greats had knee injuries. 

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Is there anyone you went to as a resource? Was it Seth? 

I talked to Seth Rollins a little bit when he was here [in Orlando] rehabbing his knee kind of the same time I was rehabbing mine. I talked to him about the whole process. I exploded my entire knee, the same as he did. It was nice to have that conversation with him. Someone who has been through it. He is miles ahead of me and had a great career since that knee injury. So it’s good motivation to look at someone who had a similar injury and has done so much since then. It has been motivating to still be around the WWE Performance Center and my coaches. People I used to grow up watching are now my colleagues, which has been amazing. Just being around Shawn Michaels and the environment during the injury has been good for me. Now I’m back and healthy. 

As you watched what was happening on NXT, how was it seeing the brand reach another level? You made your return on NXT’s premiere on The CW. That makes quite the statement. 

Women’s wrestling has evolved in the past few years, but especially in the past year. Being out and watching everyone flourish and the division explode, it was good to see because I always wanted the best for women’s wrestling. At the same time, it’s hard to take a backseat and feel like you’re getting left behind. I think the women’s division now is the best it has ever been. It will only continue to get better, so I’m excited to be back and finally be a part of it again. I missed it for a long time, and NXT is on top of the world right now. 

How is it being paired with Roxanne Perez after you had that great rivalry you had? 

I love working with her. We were kind of friends on the independents when we first came up. We had very similar stories of how we were big fans and started on the indies trying to make it to WWE. It made us gravitate toward each other. We had a little falling out, but all best friends do. It only made us stronger. She is killing it right now at the top of her game. She is levels above any other woman now, and I’m by her side. No complaints here. 

You got to meet CM Punk after all those years ago when you first had that first fan interaction with him as a kid. What is it like having him around as a mentor at this stage of your career? 

It’s very cool. I’ve been a fan of his since I was eight years old. He was my first-ever favorite wrestler. So, it’s weird but cool to just talk to him as a human being and ask him questions and just get advice. Even just having lunch with him. You get the question if you were to have dinner with someone, alive or dead, who would it be? It would literally be him, so it’s crazy I get to live that and get help from him. He is the best in the world, so having him in my corner is literally the coolest. Eight-year-old me would never have dreamed that would be a thing. 

He went through injury recovery too. Crazy. 

Yeah. Around the same time, so we were kind of rehabbing at the same time. The thought of that is also mind-blowing and motivating at the same time. 

Do you think we’ll see his wife AJ [Lee] in a WWE ring again? 

I don’t know. I hope so. I’m working on it. Me and Roxy are always badgering him about it. I know he is doing it to her as well, so we’ll see. If it happens, you’ll have to thank me. 

Cora Jade CM Punk (Cora Jade/X)

You have Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer coming up at Halloween Havoc. Do you feel any added pressure knowing their careers and how big signings WWE made them out to be? Do you feel a chip on your shoulder like this is a chance to prove yourself? 

I feel like it is motivating in a way because they have done so much all over the world. They’ve wrestled so many women and have so much talent and passion. Having them come in with all that experience has been great for the whole division. It does add pressure because the landscape is now a little different. I think they added a different element to NXT. I’m excited to work with them. I think they will bring out the best of me and Roxanne. I think I work better under pressure, so a little pressure never hurt anybody. 

Halloween Havoc was one of my favorite events growing up. I know you’re a fan. How is it being a part of this iconic show? 

It also helps that it’s my favorite holiday. So it’s nice to have my first match back be there. Also, about two years ago Roxanne and I had our singles match at Halloween Havoc, so it’s a full-circle moment to look at how far we’ve come since then. Now that we’re friends again we can conquer Halloween Havoc together. 

You mentioned Halloween being your favorite holiday. Is it the horror movies? Do you have a favorite one you like to watch this time of year? 

Honestly, I used to be terrified of horror movies growing up. It was only in the past few years I got crazy into Halloween again. I’m a big thriller girl. I like thrillers and true crime and murder mysteries like that. I’m currently watching The Menendez Brothers show on Netflix. That was all the rage. I’ve also just watched the movie Prisoners. That was a really good thriller. 

Former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez (WWE)

Any special plans for what you’ll wear at Halloween Havoc? 

We do have a little bit of a surprise coming up at Halloween Havoc. I think that will be a top costume of all time. You’ll have to wait and see for that one because it will be up there. 

It was just announced that NXT was going to the ECW Arena next month. What does that mean to you that you’ll potentially be performing in a venue with such history? 

It’s crazy. I’ve always wanted to wrestle in that arena. I’ve seen independent companies run arena shows there. I always thought it would be cool for WWE to do a show there so I could wrestle there. I didn’t think it would ever happen, and they announced it. I think it’s great. There is a lot of history there. I think NXT traveling again is great for us. It gets more eyes on the product and more fans get to experience the show live. I think that brings in more viewers everywhere. Hopefully, we can keep going with it. 

You’re very active on social media. Of course, there are the passionate fans who mean well, but also maybe some trolls or creepers. I know some of your fellow wrestlers have had some strange encounters. How do you manage this aspect of the business?  

Fans are very passionate. As far as social media, I see the support. It means the world to me. I see fans tweeting me stuff and making videos, which makes me happy because I used to do stuff like that. I would spend hours making video edits of The Shield and AJ Lee. So when I see stuff like that, it makes me happy. Then there are some who are a little weird and creepy and kind of rude. I think everyone experiences that, but I learned to not engage. I don’t have to read it. People who support me are going to support me. People who enjoy the product will enjoy the product. All the others I pay no mind. 

How would you describe this version of Cora Jade we’re about to see? 

Definitely a little bit of a change this time around. I feel like I’ve grown a lot mentally in the past years through the injury and other experiences I’ve had in life in the past year. It’s a more mentally tough Cora Jade. Nobody can mess with me this time around. I’m not scared of anybody anymore. People are going to have to get through me. 

Who helped get you ready for the ring again? 

Me and Roxanne were always working together. She was always helping me. We trained with CM Punk. The three of us wanted to get better. He was coming off an injury, and I was coming off an injury. Roxanne just loves wrestling, so we were all working together. Indi Hartwell too, we all just love it. Bayley is one of my closest friends. She is incredibly talented and has so much experience. I’m so grateful to have her as a friend and mentor and someone I can look to for support and advice. Someone who knows things I don’t because she has been through it all. There’s a lot of pressure going on in the business at all times, so to have her has been a saving grace. 

We’ve seen NXT talents like yourself work untelevised matches or even other shows like Main Event. How important is it to get those reps in on Raw and SmackDown as you develop within the WWE system? 

It’s very cool because the goal for everyone is still ultimately to get to Raw and SmackDown and WrestleMania and all the cool pay-per-views. It’s different. It’s more nerve-wracking when you are up there. I did get to do Main Event in my hometown, so my parents were there. It was cool to perform on a bigger stage with my parents there in the arena they used to take me to for shows as a kid. Just having that experience and working with someone in front of a bigger crowd against Nikki Cross. Someone who has so much experience. It was really good. I hope to do it again because it was a lot of fun. 

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Where do you see yourself after Halloween Havoc? Is your teaming with Roxanne a one and done or do you want to make a run together? 

Who knows what the future holds? I’d love to keep working with Roxanne. I think we could take over the women’s division together. She can keep that Women’s Title and I can take that North American Women’s Title from Kelani Jordan. Who knows? Maybe we’ll go after those Women’s Tag Team Titles. The possibilities are endless because there are so many talented women now. I’m excited to be back and healthy and working with them. I think NXT is on top of the world and the women’s division is untouchable. 

Halloween Havoc, October 27, 7/6c, Peacock 

WWE NXT, Tuesdays, 8/7c, The CW