Zoey Serrano has recalled a stressful and unexpected health scare that occurred on the same day as one of the biggest WWE matches of her career.
Serrano, who competed in WWE as Zoey Stark, faced Becky Lynch in a televised RAW main event during her run with the company. Speaking in a recent interview with DS Shin, Serrano described dealing with severe swelling beneath her chin after eating barbecue in Memphis. The situation left her concerned not only about her health, but also about appearing on television as she prepared for a major match against one of WWE’s most established stars.
Despite the anxiety surrounding the incident, Serrano said that the bout with Lynch remains the match she remembers most fondly.
“On that same day, I ended up—so this was in Memphis. I went to get Memphis barbecue and next thing I know I get this big swelling under my chin. Like an allergic reaction, and it just filled up with saliva, I guess,” Serrano said.
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The former WWE performer said she later visited an ear, nose and throat specialist, who identified the issue as a stone blocking a salivary gland. While the diagnosis offered an explanation, that did not reduce the immediate pressure she felt while getting ready for RAW.
For Serrano, the episode was particularly difficult because she has dealt with health anxiety. The uncertainty around why one side of her face was swelling caused her mind to race on a day that already carried substantial professional stakes.
“When I went to an ENT after, they said, ‘You have a stone stuck in your saliva gland.’ So I had them put on a crap ton of makeup to try and cover it because I was just swelling right here and then this side looked normal,” she said.
A major RAW opportunity under difficult circumstances
Wrestling on RAW in a main-event setting is an important opportunity for any performer, particularly against someone with Lynch’s profile. Serrano entered the match with more than the usual concerns of preparation and performance. She was worried about the swelling, the unknown cause of it at the time, and the magnitude of competing against Lynch on a televised WWE main event.
She also noted that the match represented her first time working a bout in which weapons could be used. That added another layer to a night that was already emotionally demanding.
“I was stressed out about that and then I was stressed out about the match,” Serrano explained. “I tend to get bad health anxiety. All the things are going through my head like, ‘What is this? What’s happening?’ Luckily it was just a stone that blocked my saliva.”
Serrano’s recollection illustrates the less visible side of a major wrestling television performance. Fans see the entrances, the match and the story unfolding in the ring, but performers are often navigating travel, physical wear, personal circumstances and last-minute problems before they ever reach the curtain. In this case, Serrano had to manage a visible physical issue while trying to stay focused for a career-defining assignment.
There is no indication from Serrano’s comments that the salivary-gland blockage prevented the match from happening. Instead, she and the WWE production team worked to conceal the swelling with makeup before she went out to wrestle Lynch.
The pressure did not erase the positive memory of the match. Quite the opposite: Serrano said the experience ultimately became the best night of her career and the contest she considers her favorite.
“It was just that on top of the main event in RAW, on top of wrestling Becky, on top of my first ever match where I could use any weapons, right? It was just a lot. But best night ever. My favorite match,” Serrano said.
Becky Lynch was a key opponent during Serrano’s WWE run
Serrano’s RAW match with Lynch came during an eventful stretch of her WWE career. As Zoey Stark, she was placed opposite several prominent names and was involved in a storyline that connected her with both Lynch and WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus.
That association put Serrano in a high-visibility role. Stratus and Lynch brought extensive history and major-star credibility to the program, while Serrano had the chance to establish herself in featured television situations. Her memories of the RAW main event underscore how significant that period was to her personally and professionally.
It is also notable that Serrano did not frame the evening solely through the lens of the medical scare. Although she was clearly frightened in the moment, she returned repeatedly to the importance of the opportunity: main-eventing RAW, sharing the ring with Lynch and working a weapons-allowed match for the first time.
Those elements combined to make the night memorable even before considering the unexpected issue she had dealt with earlier in the day. In retrospect, Serrano views the challenge as part of the story of a match she holds in especially high regard.
Health anxiety added to the pre-match stress
Serrano’s comments also offered a candid account of how an unexplained symptom can affect a wrestler’s mindset. Before receiving the later explanation from the specialist, she was left trying to determine whether the swelling was an allergic reaction or something else. With a nationally televised main event approaching, the lack of clarity amplified her concern.
Professional wrestling requires performers to maintain composure in a setting where the audience expects confidence and intensity. Serrano’s experience in Memphis was a reminder that the performers seen in those moments are still dealing with the same uncertainty and stress that anyone might feel when a sudden health issue emerges.
Her eventual diagnosis helped put the situation into perspective. Serrano said it was a stone that had blocked her saliva, rather than the more alarming possibilities that had been running through her mind. Still, the diagnosis came after she had already wrestled through a day full of worry.
The fact that she now calls the Lynch match her favorite is a testament to the impact the occasion had on her. It was not simply a featured match against a major WWE name. It was an evening in which she had to overcome intense nerves, an unexpected physical problem and the added demands of a weapons-allowed environment.
Serrano also discussed an unused character idea
Elsewhere in the same conversation, Serrano discussed a character proposal she pursued in early 2025 involving a potential Right to Censor-inspired direction. She said Liv Morgan encouraged her to use the character concept.
That discussion reflects Serrano’s interest in finding distinctive creative avenues during her time in WWE. Right to Censor was a notable WWE faction concept, and Serrano’s mention of a pitch inspired by that idea offers another look at the character possibilities she considered.
However, it was her reflection on the Lynch main event that stood out as the most personal part of the interview. The match brought together a substantial WWE platform, a formidable opponent and a difficult behind-the-scenes situation that Serrano had to manage on the fly.
For Serrano, the outcome of that experience is clear. What began as a day of anxiety after a frightening bout of swelling became a career highlight. She entered the evening concerned about her health and aware of the stakes of facing Lynch on RAW, but left with what she now considers her favorite match.
That perspective speaks to why certain matches endure for wrestlers long after they air. The most meaningful bouts are not always defined only by the result or the placement on a card. Sometimes they are defined by the obstacles surrounding them, the opponent across the ring and the feeling of having made it through an overwhelming moment. Serrano’s RAW main event with Becky Lynch appears to be exactly that kind of match.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.