Elektra Lopez has been released from WWE, PWInsider reported on Sunday.
Her profile has been moved to the alumni section on WWE.com. She joins Cedric Alexander, Sonya Deville, the Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar), Paul Ellering, Blair Davenport, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Isla Dawn as part of this round of roster cuts.
Lopez signed with WWE in early 2021 and debuted on NXT that June, aligning with Legado Del Fantasma shortly after. However, when the group was called up to the main roster the following year, Lopez was initially left behind. Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro joined Rey Mysterio and Zelina Vega to form the new LWO. Lopez eventually reunited with Legado Del Fantasma in January 2024, as the faction split from Mysterio’s LWO.
Her only singles match on SmackDown was a win over Vega on the April 5, 2024, episode. Most recently, she competed in the first round of the WWE Women’s United States Championship tournament, losing a triple threat match to Tiffany Stratton, with Naomi as the third competitor.
Three NXT stars, including Ava, the daughter of WWE legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, made their SmackDown debuts on Friday’s episode.
Ava, Trick Williams, and Elektra Lopez all made surprise debuts on SmackDown in a variety of segments on the Royal Rumble go-home show.
After being named the storyline general manager of NXT on this past Tuesday’s episode, Ava was featured in multiple backstage segments with SmackDown GM Nick Aldis in her debut as various stars drew their order of entry for Saturday’s Royal Rumble match.
Williams made his debut in saving Carmelo Hayes from a post-match attack at the hands of Austin Theory & Grayson Waller after Theory defeated Hayes on SmackDown. Hayes & Williams are partners in NXT’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and will wrestle in a semifinal match in that tournament against the LWO’s Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro on the next episode of NXT. Williams is also set to challenge Ilja Dragunov for the NXT Championship at Vengeance Day on Sunday, February 4.
Lopez rejoined the latest iteration of Santos Escobar’s Legado Del Fantasma on SmackDown after a brawl broke out between Legado and the LWO after an Escobar vs. Carlito singles match. Lopez was previously aligned with LEgado in NXT when the group was comprised of Escobar, Wilde, & Del Toro. Wilde & Del Toro have since left the group and joined the LWO.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio before Monday’s episode of Raw.
It was a tepid episode this week due to some mediocre in-ring work, but the work rate was good. The main positive is that the show doesn’t feel as stagnant as it has in the past because every week we’re provided with fresh faces.
Natalya defeated Elektra Lopez (5:44)
This was fine, but nothing special. Natalya is always excellent in these spots on Main Event.
This was the second appearance in as many weeks for Lopez, who worked against Gigi Dolin on last week’s episode. Natalya returned to the show here for the first time since August, to give her a much-needed win in what has been a lean year for her.
Just as her previous bouts have been on Main Event, this one was a hunt for the Sharpshooter for Natalya. It seems to be the thing that most of her matches are built around these days and, by the end, it was locked in on the fourth attempt.
Lopez was pretty wily here and she foiled most of Nattie’s attempts, but she locked in a long chin lock partway through which slowed things down and was probably the reason why the match ran at over five minutes.
After the third sharpshooter attempt, Lopez used a roll-up for a near fall which could well have been it had they wanted to send this one in a different direction.
After she missed a charge to the corner, Natalya finally got the submission hold locked in and got the victory to end a basic enough opener.
Von Wagner defeated Edris Enofe (5:47)
This was a little bit sloppy and not that entertaining all told, but they both certainly worked hard.
Edris Enofe made his first singles appearance on Main Event here, having only worked the show twice before in tag action with Malik Blade. He looks to be in supreme shape.
Von Wagner controlled the opening minutes, putting pressure on Enofe’s left arm. Enofe then worked his way out and nailed him with a dropkick to send him to the outside. He then ran the ropes and did a beautiful flip dive to the outside as we went to an early commercial break.
Enofe locked in a side headlock after the ads, but Von Wagner fought his way out. Enofe used a pretty horrible-looking fame-asser, where neither wrestler was at fault, before going up top.
Von Wagner had the move scouted and moved out of the way and, after Enofe tried to fight him, hit him with a powerbomb to get his hand raised.
It’s not clear what they plan to do with Von Wagner as Saxton was pushing his free agency throughout the match, but he probably needs a few more of these under his belt before he works the main roster regularly.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York before Monday’s episode of Raw.
Two simple matches this week, but again Main Event delivered fresh talent to make it a more interesting show.
Gigi Dolin defeated Elektra Lopez (4:58)
This was a very straightforward affair from two pretty new faces. They worked hard and Dolin got the win in her debut.
While this was Dolin’s Main Event debut, it was Lopez’s second appearance and second loss. She worked the show back in March in a losing effort against the now-former WWE employee, Dana Brooke.
There was some nice banter between Saxton and Barrett on commentary, referring back to their FCW days, which brought some color to this one. It felt as though they piped in a ‘let’s go Gigi’ chant, but it could have been legitimate.
Both had their moments, with Dolin’s coming from a basement dropkick where they slowed down the hang time she got before she landed it. Lopez was more the slow, methodical heel, but certainly had the look of a main roster talent here.
In the end, they exchanged near falls, but Dolin was plucky enough to hit Lopez with a kick to the head so that she could use her Gigi Driver for the win. It looked a little sloppy but it’s a creative-looking finisher.
Apollo Crews defeated Javier Bernal (7:41)
This was a good match in the end, after a slow start. The crowd liked the near falls at the end, but it was another week and another win for Crews who continues his dominant run against NXT talent on Main Event.
Like Gigi Dolin, Bernal made his debut here, but it wasn’t his first taste of main roster action. He appeared on Raw back in May in a tag team squash at the hands of Sanga and Veer. Singles action allowed Bernal a way better platform to show what he could do.
Bernal has an interesting look. On the one hand, his jacket is kind of reminiscent of Shawn Michaels in the early 90s, after he went solo. But he also has the mannerisms of Edge as well. This isn’t to say he works like either of those two gentlemen, but the influence is clear to see.
Crews looked none too impressed with Bernal, but once they started to work together there was a slickness in what they did. After an early back and forth, Bernal knocked Crews off the apron and we went to an early commercial break.
After the ads, Bernal was in control and locked in a head scissors. A better rest hold than usual chin lock, but still a pet peeve for these short matches.
The highlight of the match was when Crews looked like he was going home, having hit the standing moonsault he went up top, rolled through and got nailed by an elbow. Bernal went for a cross body and got caught, so reversed it into a tornado DDT. The crowd thought it could have been the finish, but Crews kicked out.
Crews then got the win with a head kick and a top rope splash to keep his streak going.
A new tag team match has been added to Tuesday’s NXT.
Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz will take on Lola Vice & Elektra Lopez this coming Tuesday. It will be the first show following this past Sunday’s Great American Bash event.
In the pre-show of the Great American Bash, Leon & Feroz teamed together with Nathan Frazer and Dragon Lee to defeat the Meta-Four (Noam Dar, Oro Mensah, Jakara Jackson, and Lash Legend). All eight had been feuding with one another in the weeks prior to the Great American Bash.
An association between Lopez and Vice has been seen in recent weeks on NXT television. Vice was in Lola’s corner when she lost a match to Thea Hail on the July 18 edition of NXT. This will be Vice’s second match on NXT, the first being a battle royal back in June.
The announced lineup for this week’s Great American Bash follow-up episode of NXT:
Lyra Valkyria vs. Jacy Jayne
Dijak vs. Eddy Thorpe
The Schism interrogation segment
Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz vs. Lola Vice & Elektra Lopez
A new match has been added to this week’s WWE NXT episode.
In women’s division action, Chase U’s Thea Hail will take on Elektra Lopez on the Tuesday, July 18 NXT show.
Hail is coming off a loss to NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton in her last televised match, a bout where Hail had a visual submission on Stratton, but the referee was distracted and missed it.
Five matches, plus Tony D’Angelo’s homecoming segment are now set for this week’s episode, including a North American title match with Wes Lee defending against Dominik Mysterio of The Judgment Day. Nathan Frazer & Dragon Lee vs. Los Lotharios, Kiana James vs. Gigi Dolin, plus Axiom & Scrypts vs. Bronco Nima & Lucien Price are also scheduled for the show.
The updated lineup:
WWE NXT, Tuesday, July 18 —
NXT North American Championship: Wes Lee defends against Dominik Mysterio
Nathan Frazer & Dragon Lee vs. Los Lotharios (Angel & Humberto)
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, before Monday’s Raw.
Dana Brooke defeated Elektra Lopez (5:09)
This was a solid match and they worked well together. Lopez certainly didn’t look out of place working a main roster show. Interestingly, she has been on the main roster before back in a 2019 SmackDown match as one of the Brooklyn Belles against then-WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics.
The most impressive thing here was how much Brooke gave to Lopez. Lopez looks like she works pretty safe, but Brooke sold constantly for her throughout the match.
Although Lopez used a couple of chin locks, she worked quickly and showed off a good moveset. She worked over Brooke’s back and used a nice looking gutwrench suplex.
Brooke rallied with her bulldog and cartwheel moonsault, but Lopez kicked out at two. Lopez rolled through Brooke’s crossbody attempt and lifted her into a powerslam position from the mat. She only got a near fall from it, but it looked impressive.
Brooke grabbed the win with a victory roll, so I suppose the narrative here was that Brooke upended her by being the more experienced of the two, but it would have done no harm to have had Lopez get her hand raised.
They could easily give Lopez a run and make her look dominant on the main roster, but hopefully they will give her a few more runouts on shows like this first.
Dexter Lumis (w/ Johnny Gargano) defeated Odyssey Jones (7:33)
This was ok. Lumis looked good and gave Jones quite a lot. Jones worked slowly and methodically, but the issue is his gimmick and not his in-ring work.
Lumis has done a few Main Event tapings this year and has generally looked good, but this was his first episode with Gargano in tow. Jones, likewise, has done ok in the few outings he has had on the show.
In the opening, Jones showed off his power before Lumis mounted him in the corner for the ten punches. Jones rallied to send him outside as we went to a commercial.
After the break, Lumis took three splashes in the corner and World’s Strongest Slam but kicked out at two. Jones then locked in a nerve hold as you could see he was tired. Lumis worked his way out, Jones ran into a boot, and Lumis used a second rope missile dropkick to take him off his feet.
Gargano gave Lumis some advice from the outside and Lumis managed to hit Jones with a side slam. He then did a kip up into a legdrop which looked extremely cool, but Jones kicked out at two.
The finish made Jones looked a bit foolish: Lumis pushed him into the ropes and then ducked down behind him to quickly roll him up for the win.
Gargano and Lumis made out of there like bandits while Jones was left looking distraught.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, this was a good show. Like a lot of WWE content this week, it has been about building to WrestleMania, but the two matches were perfectly fine here. Hopefully, after things settle again, we will return to some inset promos, backstage segments and dare I say some angles on this show in the near future.
Elektra Lopez and Odyssey Jones both made their returns on Tuesday’s NXT.
Lopez attacked Indi Hartwell and Sol Ruca after the two had a match. Meanwhile Odyssey Jones consoled Edris Enofe and Malik Blade after they lost their NXT Tag Team Championship match against Pretty Deadly earlier in the show.
Hartwell had defeated Ruca when Lopez came in and attacked Hartwell from behind. She then laid out Ruca, who was still recovering. Lopez hadn’t been seen since leaving with the rest of Legado del Fantasma back in August. However, when the group appeared on the main roster, Lopez ended up being replaced by Zelina Vega, who is now managing Santos Escobar, Cruz Del Toro, and Joaquin Wilde.
Jones appeared on Tuesday’s show, pulling up in a truck with several women inside. He told Blade and Enofe that now it was the time to have the time of their lives. They joined in as the truck left the Performance Center.
Jones has been out of action since January, suffering a ruptured patellar tendon in a match against Sanga that took place on 205 Live, requiring surgery. On television, he was written out after being attacked by Harland and Joe Gacy.
Two matches and a Women’s Championship Summit have been announced for next week’s NXT.
Cora Jade will face Elektra Lopez, while Cameron Grimes will face Nathan Frazer. Additionally, Thea Hail will make her NXT debut, and a Women’s Championship Summit will be held between Toxic Attraction and the trio of Wendy Choo, Katana Chance, and Kayden Carter.
Tonight’s show had Chance and Carter attack Women’s Tag Team Champions Gigi Dolin and Jacey Jayne backstage as they were walking with Mandy Rose to the ring. The teams also brawled around ringside during a match between Mandy Rose and Indi Hartwell. After Rose successfully defended the NXT Women’s title against Hartwell, Wendy Choo attacked her and dumped a bag full of balls on Rose.
Later, Carter and Chance issued a challenge to Toxic Attraction for the tag titles at In Your House, while Choo challenged Rose to a Women’s title match.
Jade appeared in the crowd during Lopez’s match against Alba Fyre on tonight’s show. After Fyre won, a frustrated Lopez smacked the popcorn out of Jade’s hand, confronting her. Grimes will face Frazer ahead of his match at NXT In Your House, where he will defend the NXT North American Championship against former champion Carmelo Hayes.
Thea Hail on this week’s NXT said that she would be graduating from high school on Thursday and had been accepted to many colleges. She said she would announce what college she’s going to next week.
The lineup so far for next week’s NXT:
Cora Jade vs. Elektra Lopez
Cameron Grimes vs. Nathan Frazer
Women’s Championship Summit featuring Toxic Attraction and Wendy Choo, Kayden Carter, and Katana Chance
Elektra Lopez appeared on tonight’s NXT, aligning herself with Legado Del Fantasma.
The main event of tonight’s NXT had Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Raul Mendoza) team up to take on Hit Row (Isiah ‘Swerve’ Scott, Ashanti “Thee” Adonis, and Top Dolla). The finish of the match had Lopez come out to confront B-Fab, who was at ringside. Lopez then took out a pipe and attacked B-Fab. As the referee and Scott were distracted, Escobar took the opportunity to roll up Scott for the win.
Lopez is the former Karissa Rivera, who signed with WWE in February of this year. She first appeared on the June 22 edition of NXT, where she lost to Frankie Monet in what was billed as Monet’s “World Premiere Encore”. Previously, Lopez has had matches in Ring of Honor and Impact and is a former Wrestling Superstar Women’s Champion.
Also on tonight’s NXT, Xyon Quinn made his television debut, pinning Boa after Boa was distracted by Mei Ying. Julius and Brutus Creed, twin amateur wrestlers, also appeared in the background of a Malcom Bivens promo tonight, training with Roderick Strong.
