Every Original WWE NXT Black & Gold Roster Member - Where Are They Now?

34. Sofia Cortez

Sofia Cortez
WWE

What was she doing at the time?

One of two on this list to claim a victory over future multiple-time WWE Divas Champion Paige in the early Full Sail days, Sofia Cortez was around 50 matches but ten years into her wrestling career when she linked up with Florida Championship Wrestling in 2011. She'd spend longer there than the NXT incarnation of the show, with her unfavourable win/loss record telling the on-screen story of her relatively short stint. 

What is she doing now?

A veteran with - as of 2026 - two decades of experience and less than a year spent in FCW/NXT, the performer far better known as Ivelisse never ended being defined by her WWE experience, other than to flag up issues that many others had tried and failed to address. Her exit from WWE was not a quiet one, and she has stated she was the first to report former Performance Center coach Bill DeMott for misconduct, some time before he resigned amidst a slew of allegations. In the aftermath of that, she briefly became a standout name through her work in Lucha Underground and AEW, though the latter resulted in a controversial departure thanks to a supposedly contentious relationship with various talents and coaches within the company.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.