Ethan Page. Lola Vice. Trick Williams. Roxanne Perez. Kelani Jordan. Oba Femi. Those are WWE NXT superstars currently on the brand's promotional banner, but they may need to make room for another in short order.
The co-main event at the successful No Mercy PLE on Sunday night featured Perez defending her title against one of the brightest stars on the conveyor belt Shawn Michaels has developed since taking over creative for the Gold brand. It's been almost one year to the day since Tiana Caffey took on the performance moniker of Jaida Parker, and she's been making a name for herself ever since.
How Jaida Parker Got Here
Under the watchful and seemingly protective eye of Booker T., Ms. Parker's rizz has started to shine through. She's quickly improved her in-ring performance and promo work over the last several months and appears to be on the precipice of much bigger heights despite her loss on Sunday.
Women's wrestling is experiencing a much deserved resurgence over the last decade plus, but recent days have seen a slew of captivating characters who are bringing a ton of diverse skillsets and backgrounds to the genre.
Caffey was a multi-sport star in high school as a member of the USSA national travel softball champions, but her primary sports success came on the soccer pitch.
A member of the US Under-17 Women's National Team, she participated in FIFA'sUnder-17 Women's World Cup prior to attending and playing for the LSU Lady Tigers. LSU was her dream school since an early age, per an interview she did with Beautiful Ballers, and she was a part of an SEC championship there as well.
But now her focus is squarely on her in-ring exploits, and the wrestling world should be thankful for the turn. She hasn't landed in teh category of either a Babyface or a Heel just yet, but her promo work shows the range and her confidence in herself shines through. If fans are being honest, she executed pre-match work at a higher level than the skillfully adept Perez.
Jaida Parker's In-Ring Record
Sunday night was her third PLE match of her brief career which began back in October of 2022.
Things started off slowly for Parker as she learned the ropes, literally, with defeats in her first 10 matches across singles, tag and battle royale style competitions. Her fortunes turned in the December 2, 2023 house show, earning her first career win in a victory over Kennedy Cummins.
Two months later she'd get her first in-ring action ad premiere PLE appearance with Out The Mud (OTM) where she teamed up with Bronco Nima and Lucien Price at Vengeance Day 2024.
The tag duo accompany her to her singles matches often to this day. Parker soon would start her ascent, gaining traction with eight straight singles victories until losing to Michin in June. She'd avenge that defeat in one of her most infamous matches, the Street Fight on the July 2 episode.
That was part of a seven-match win streak that led up to Sunday's defeat. There's no shame in losing to the two-time Women's champion; Perez's run has reached an astounding 146 consecutive days as champion.
But just watching the two size each other up to begin the match, the physical disparity between them shows just how imposing a figure the 5-foot-7 newcomer can be in the coming days, weeks, months and years.
Parker's record now sits at 22-20 across all matches and 17-9 in singles competition. That includes going 15-4 in solo matches in 2024.
What's NXT for Jaida Parker?
The loss will do nothing to diminish Parker's rising star. In fact, the appearance has increased her buzz as Sunday was her first in a PLE as a singles competitor. There are so many options for her career on the way to the bigger brands.
In the gauntlet match that determined who would get the opportunity to face Perez, she defeated Sol Ruca, another sensational new talent in NXT. Creating a level of rivalry between those two would elevate both and the division as a whole.
Eventually she'll earn a rematch with Perez, and there could be a rivalry in the future such as the ones Perez has enjoyed with Lola Vice and Tatum Paxley. There was also an off-screen competitor who appeared "on set" at the end of the interview Parker did with Perez before No Mercy. Was it Guilia? Wendy Choo? Someone else?
Also, a great way to establish Parker as a heel would be to point her towards Kelani Jordan, the current North American Women's champion.
Jaida Parker Interviews