Zelina Vega is out of action for the time being, halting the LWO star’s quest for the WWE Speed Women’s Championship. During the latest episode of WWE’s X-exclusive program, Vega was scheduled to face Natalya. However, B-Fab stepped in as a replacement, taking on the Canadian veteran instead.
Corey Graves explained on commentary that B-Fab replaced Vega due to an injury. The match ended with Natalya defeating B-Fab with just 22 seconds remaining, advancing her to the next round of the tournament to determine Candice LeRae’s next challenger.
This marks a significant setback for the 34-year-old Vega, who celebrated her birthday earlier this week. She last competed for a championship on July 1, when she challenged Liv Morgan for the Women’s World Championship on WWE Raw. While Vega has yet to claim singles championship gold in WWE, she held the Women’s Tag Team Championship alongside Carmella from November 2021 to April 2022.
WWE has not yet provided details on Vega’s injury or a timeline for her return, leaving fans eager for updates on the popular Superstar. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest news on Zelina Vega and her status in the WWE Speed Women’s Title Tournament.
Zelina Vega, currently in her second stint with WWE, continues to be a fan favorite despite her recent elimination from the Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament on Monday Night Raw. Vega, a former Queen of the Ring and member of the LWO, competed in a Triple Threat Match where Lyra Valkyria pinned Ivy Nile to advance. However, fans in the arena and online took note of Vega appearing to wave goodbye after her loss, sparking speculation about her future with the company.
According to PWInsider.com, there is no truth to the rumors of Vega leaving WWE. She remains under contract for several more years, and her post-match wave was not an indication of a departure. In fact, Vega received the loudest reaction during her entrance, underscoring her popularity with the live crowd.
The elimination of Vega so early in the tournament did not sit well with many fans, overshadowing Valkyria’s victory to some extent. On social media, the #PushZelina trend resurfaced, with fans voicing their disappointment over her early exit. Negative comments about Vega’s elimination also appeared on WWE’s YouTube video for the match, although much of the discussion was centered around Valkyria’s win.
As one of WWE’s most consistently supported talents, Vega’s fan base continues to advocate for her to receive more prominent opportunities in the company.
WWE and the LWO celebrated Thanksgiving in a unique way this year by ensuring that people in Arizona received a hot meal on the special day. Rey Mysterio, Zelina Vega, Joaquin Wilde, and WWE Speed Champion Dragon Lee attended the Food Donation Drive in Arizona and delivered 50,000 meals according to Mysterio. The line for food had been miles long since 6:30 in the morning at St Mary’s Food Bank, the Hall of Famer added.
It wasn’t just meals that the trio of WWE Superstars were handing out as the group presented the St. Mary’s crew with a replica Undisputed WWE Championship belt.
The event demonstrated WWE’s commitment to making a difference and was part of WWE’s community outreach program. The program sees WWE commit to various philanthropic endeavors, with WWE Warrior Award recipient Titus O’Neil playing a role in the program.
On WWE programming, the LWO has been feuding with Chad Gable’s American Made faction, with Mysterio and Lee facing Brutus and Julius Creed during the latest episode of WWE Monday Night Raw. Despite this setback, the pair, alongside Zelina Vega, were all smiles as they used this year’s Thanksgiving to make a massive difference to the people of Arizona.
Another Halloween has come and gone, and for the Superstars of WWE, they once again have had the chance to dress up for the season. The Superstars are hardly strangers to portraying colorful characters on TV every single week and that has been the case with this year’s Halloween costumes.
On X, WWE showcased some of the Superstars in this year’s costumes. Otis and Akira Tozawa made quite the pair of Dudley Boyz while Maxxine Dupri portrayed the ‘Duchess of Dudleyville’ Stacey Kiebler. R-Truth dressed as his childhood icon John Cena while Chelsea Green and Piper Niven did their take on WWE GMs Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce.
Mia Yim channeled her inner Lita while Zelina Vega represented her LWO ally Rey Mysterio from his WCW days post-unmasking. Byron Saxton gave a royal replication of King Booker and, Indi Hartwell learned how to be Chelsea Green from the self-prescribed Hot Mess herself.
Halloween is always a fun time in wrestling, with WWE leaning into the spooky season with the recent NXT Halloween Havoc Premium Live Event. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest from WWE as the company prepares for major changes, including Raw’s move to Netflix, in the coming months.
Several WWE superstars (and one former talent) are the next contestants on Celebrity Family Feud. The latest WWE installment of the show airs this Tuesday, August 20, on ABC at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT and will also stream on Hulu. The episode features men vs. women, with Bobby Lashley, The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford), Austin Theory, and LA Knight taking on Mia Yim, Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, Zelina Vega, and Sonya Deville.
The episode was taped back on April 13. At the time, Lashley was in a faction with The Street Profits as The Pride and was coming off a win over The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam & Rezar) at WrestleMania 40 on April 7. His last televised match was a loss alongside Santos Escobar to LA Knight in a triple-threat match on the April 12 episode of Friday Night Smackdown.
Another notable example of the episode being taped is that Theory is pictured with the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship. He and his partner Grayson Waller would lose the titles to DIY(Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) during Friday Night Smackdown on July 12.
The upcoming Celebrity Family Feud will give fans a different look at the WWE superstars outside the ring as they compete to answer the right questions. However, Lashley’s appearance in the episode will remind wrestling viewers that he is no longer with the company and put a spotlight on him as he enters free agency.
Bobby Lashley’s Next Moves
Lashley’s contract with WWE expired on August 16. He and his former Hurt Business ally, MVP, were moved to the company’s alumni section. In an Instagram post on the day of his WWE departure, Lashley shared a video of him working out with the caption,
“Every day is a new opportunity to push the limits and show the world what you are made of. I’ve got so much fight left in me, and I’m just getting started.”
Both are currently available to sign with any promotion with the expectation by fans that they will work together. It was also revealed that a company linked to MVP named Totally Harmless Concept, LLC, recently registered the trademark The Hurt Syndicate. Lashley is dealing with an arm injury but has openly shared that he wants to continue his wrestling career.
Time will tell who Lashley will compete for next. However, his appearance on Celebrity Family Feud gives him more exposure as he navigates free agency.
The worlds of WWE and Street Fighter are teaming up for a special crossover event as part of the WWE SuperCard mobile game.
In a promo video, Xavier Woods, Rey Mysterio, and Zelina Vega were ‘promoted’ with new attires resembling some of the fighting game franchise’s top characters. The crossover will last from July 17 to August 15 and will include Ryu, Juri, Luke, and Chun-Li. The new Akuma Limited Edition card will also be unlockable.
Fans will be able to battle in special game modes, and collect incredible rewards, a statement from 2K Games added. Special in-game offers, daily streaks, bundles, Card Backs, and Equipment will also be available.
Harley Howe, Studio Manager of Cat Daddy Games (the creators of WWE Supercard) shared their excitement:
“Street Fighter game nights have been a staple of the studio for decades. We’re extremely excited to welcome this franchise to the world of WWE SuperCard as both fans and players. We have done our best to build an experience blending the fusion of both games and hope everyone thoroughly enjoys it.”
WWE’s Video Game Crossovers
WWE Supercard isn’t the only mobile game that is set to see a major crossover. Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne will be a part of WWE Champions as part of the upcoming ‘Summer of Darkness’ event. Osbourne, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021, will be a character in the game and players will have the chance to collect Ozzy-themed items to progress in the Madman Collection Contest.
Call of Duty is also getting in on the crossover fun as part of the upcoming fifth season of the newest game. This update will see WWE Superstars appear in Call of Duty though at this time it is unknown who will be making their presence felt in the hit war game franchise.
Morgan throws first pitch at Fenway Park ahead of her upcoming title defense.
WWE superstar Liv Morgan is enjoying the lifestyle of being the WWE Women’s World Champion. She won the title by defeating Becky Lynch due to interference by her current love interest, Dominik Mysterio, at King & Queen Of The Ring on May 25. Since then, Morgan hasn’t seen much competition and defended her championship once. On the July 1 episode of Monday Night Raw, she’ll finally put her gold on the line against Zelina Vega.
The event will occur at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Morgan initiated the feud by interfering in Mysterio’s tag team match alongside Carlito and JD McDonagh against World Wrestling Entertainment Braun Strowman & LWO (Dragon Lee & Rey Mysterio) on the June 10 episode of Raw. Vega would get into an altercation with the champion, and their issue would continue for the next two weeks. Their match on the upcoming episode will allow them to settle their difference.
While preparing for her title defense, Morgan made a special appearance today at Fenway Park during the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres game to throw the first pitch. The champion did a good job throwing without issue, showing off her arm strength compared to other celebrities. MLB captured the moment on X and decided to tag Mysterio to tease him.
WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan threw out the 1st pitch today at Fenway Park!
Morgan also spoke with NESN and was asked by Adam Pellerin about what it means to perform in Boston. She spoke highly of the city and the energy the fans bring to WWE events when the company is in town.
Preview of Liv Morgan vs. Zelina Vega
The champion may need the energy when she faces her challenger on the July 1 episode. Since Morgan has been out of action on TV, she could deal with some issues in her title defense. Vega will seemingly have the speed advantage over her opponent and will be motivated to showcase her skills in a rare title match.
That said, Morgan is seemingly favored to retain her championship and continue to torment her rival, Rhea Ripley. ‘Mami’ is currently out with an injury due to Morgan’s attack on the April 8 episode of Raw. It’s unclear when Ripley will return to action. However, it’s possible WWE may have Morgan remain champion until she can defend it against the Australian superstar.
Regardless, the upcoming episode of Raw should be a fun show, and the crowd in Boston will be in for a treat to witness Morgan’s second title defense.
Zelina Vega, the current reigning Queen of the Ring, was all set to be in this year’s tournament. Sadly, she will not get to proceed.
WWE SmackDown GM Adam Pearce announced that Vega is out of the tournament. She is not medically cleared, but they did not reveal her injury.
She will be replaced by Maxxine Dupri. The LWO member was set to take on Shayna Baszler in the first round, but now the Alpha Academy representative will take her place at tonight’s WWE live event in Machon, Georgia.
This is not the only change that WWE has been forced to make in this year’s tournament. Xavier Woods, who is the reigning King of the Ring, was replaced by Kofi Kingston in the tournament. Also, Bobby Lashley had to pull out, and he was replaced by Angelo Dawkins.
SEScoops has updated our comprehensive coverage of the King and Queen of the Ring.
Queen of the Ring First Round
In the first round of the Queen of the Ring tournament, several matches concluded with decisive victories. Iyo Sky defeated Natalya, while Lyra Valkyria overcame Dakota Kai. Zoey Stark secured a win against Ivy Nile, and Bianca Belair triumphed over Candice LeRae.
Jade Cargill emerged victorious against Piper Niven, and Nia Jax defeated Naomi. Tiffany Stratton also won her match against Michin.
In the final match of the first round, Shayna Baszler will face Maxxine Dupri after Zelina Vega was replaced by Dupri.
You can check out the quarterfinal matchups for the 2024 Queen of the Ring tournament below.
Iyo Sky vs. the winner of Shayna Baszler vs. Maxxine Dupri
The Superstars of WWE will be able to flex their game-show muscles as part of an upcoming episode of Celebrity Family Feud.
Taking to Twitter, Bianca Belair shared some photos from the taping and revealed that she is the captain of her team which consists of Belair, Jade Cargill, ‘Michin’ Mia Yim, Sonya Deville, and Zelina Vega.
The quintet of women will be up against Belair’s husband Montez Ford, Angelo Dawkins, Bobby Lashley, SmackDown Tag Team Champion Austin Theory, and LA Knight.
In a tweet of his own, Austin Theory was his usual cocky self at the Celebrity Family Feud taping.
It’s also worth noticing that Sonya Deville was part of the taping and did not need any sort of leg brace. The former Women’s Tag Team Champion has been out of action since June 2023 with an ACL injury, and the fact that she was able to do this taping unimpeded suggests that a return to the ring may be in the near future.
WWE On Game Shows
WWE appearances on Family Feud date as far back as 1992. In 2022, Rey Mysterio led a team of his family against The Miz. Team Mysterio would feature Dominik mere months before he turned on his Hall of Fame father to join The Judgment Day.
WWE Superstars have also appeared on The Weakest Link, with Triple H, Kane, and Xavier Woods proving their mental superiority in separate episodes. Superstars have also appeared on Wheel of Fortune.
The fact that WWE Superstars are set to appear on the show is another sign of the promotion’s ongoing popularity in the mainstream. With WWE firing on all cylinders right now, expect more big moves by the Superstars both in and out of the ring.
Zelina Vega was accused of commissioning work and not paying the artist in full. She has responded to deny the accusations against her, while promising to release more information that proves her innocence.
A prop maker named mecha_musume on Instagram accused Zelina Vega of underpaying them for WrestleMania gear. They claim to have created, printed, and decorated several items for the LWO member, such as a Mecha Chancla, cuffs, Mech wings, and a headset.
After her experience, Mecha Musume said of Vega, “As a Puerto Rican, you are literally a disgrace and 100% not for your people, let alone small businesses.”
Another artist named Sangre came forward to share their account of working with Zelina Vega. They also provided a screenshot along with their post.
This new accuser said that they did not ask Zelina Vega for any monetary compensation, but she did get them backstage at a WWE event. The screenshot featured a conversation between the two, where Vega said she “would have” offered more work to the artist if they didn’t have this conversation about payment.
Vega addressed this situation on Twitter/X. She promised to clear things up later, and she claims to have receipts.
This controversy gave her a reason to reactivate her Twitter/X account. “Screenshots, photos & videos to come. Last thing my husband and I are, are scammers, so! Time to make things clear. Alllll of it,” Vega posted.
Zelina Vega is outright denying that any shady business went down between her and costume designers. We will have to see what kind of evidence she has, but many fans are already commenting to point out that her accusers came with screenshot evidence as a part of their statement.
Welp, had to reactivate Twitter just to correct people. Screenshots, photos & videos to come. Last thing my husband and I are, are scammers, so! Time to make things clear. Alllll of it.
And for the people who want to threaten, lie and create fake “new scam scenarios” to jump on…
Zelina Vega knows exactly how she’d book herself at WrestleMania 40 if given the opportunity.
Vega grew up playing WWE video games and would use the “create a wrestler” mode to construct a grappler bearing her likeness. Today, she’s a featured character in the latest installment of the company’s flagship video game franchise, WWE 2K24.
We recently spoke with the LWO member, who discussed what it’s like to be a trailblazer in WWE and seeing better representation on television and even in the game. She also revealed what she wants to do at WrestleMania.
Zelina Vega’s WrestleMania Dream Scenario
The specifics are not that important, as long as Zelina Vega gets to tag up with Rey Mysterio so they can take out some ‘goons’ together.
“I know what I would want for WrestleMania. In my head, and maybe clip this because I feel like if this ends up happening, I said it here first. I would love to have a match at WrestleMania with me and Rey [Mysterio] and Carlito and Joaquin [Wilde] and Cruz [del Toro] against Santos [Escobar], Elektra [Lopez] and whoever other goons he wants to add to the miss.
“That match would be incredible, even if it’s just me and Rey against goon #1 and goon #2. I think it’d be really cool to just be able to say ‘Man I was on WrestleMania with Rey Mysterio. That’s my hero, that’d be crazy.’ That’s what I would want.”
Zelina Vega At WrestleMania
Vega has competed twice at WrestleMania and is yet to pick up a win at WWE’s biggest annual event. On WrestleMania 35’s pre-show, she was one of the entrants in the Women’s Battle Royal that was won by Carmella.
Three years later, she would team with Carmella and make it to the main card. The pair would lose their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships to Sasha Banks and Naomi in a fatal four-way Women’s tag-team match.
Women’s Matches at WrestleMania 40
Currently, two women’s matches have been confirmed for WrestleMania 40. WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley will defend against Becky Lynch. on the SmackDown side of things, 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble winner Bayley will challenge former ally and WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY.
The Superstars of WWE paid a touching tribute to Akira Toriyama at a recent live event, following the manga titan’s death at the age of 68.
Toriyama’s death was announced last week. He had suffered an acute subdural hematoma, which is a type of bleeding near the brain, his studio reported. Toriyama is best known for creating the manga hit Dragon Ball, which has spawned shows, movies, video games, and more. The main series follows Goku and his efforts to collect the titular Dragon Balls to protect the Earth.
WWE Tributes to Akira Toriyama
At a recent WWE live event, WWE’s Zelina Vega and Naomi paid a special tribute to Toriyama while in the ring. The pair performed a ‘Fusion’ move from Dragon Ball. In the hit series, this allows two characters to ‘fuse’ and become even more powerful than as two individuals. On Twitter, Vega shared the spot in question.
In a tweet of her own, Naomi said she was “fused for life” with her “sis” Vega. When a fan pointed out that the fusion in the show only lasts for 30 minutes, Naomi admitted that she’s still learning about Dragon Ball.
While Naomi is a newbie to the world of Dragon Ball, Vega’s love for the series can’t be denied. At WWE Money in the Bank 2023, Vega wore an attire referencing series villain Frieza, but was unsuccessful in the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match that was won by reigning WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY.
WWE and other superstars are standing up for Maxxine Dupri after her recent performance at a live event. A video circulated recently of the Alpha Academy member being booed and ridiculed after a match during a WWE house show tour. This led to the WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley being among the first superstars to speak out for her peers.
On Twitter, Ripley called out the fans in attendance for their actions. She also noted that wrestling is still new to Dupri but that she is actively trying to learn and improve.
“I really wish that some of you got booed and ridiculed in the public eye while being new at your job. Learning and getting better is all apart of being human. Be better as humans,” wrote Ripley.
As the video started circulating on social media, other wrestlers and fans publicly supported Dupri. Zelina Vega shared her thoughts on the situation on Twitter and spoke highly of the new WWE superstar.
“This is absolutely horrible. She doesn’t deserve that. She’s such a kind soul and works really hard. I would love if the bad parts of the biz don’t harden her heart. They probably just mad cuz they can’t drink your bath water Maxxine,” wrote Vega.
All Elite Wrestling superstar Britt Baker also supported Dupri, leaving a 100 emoji under Ripley’s Twitter post.
Although fans may be critical of Dupri’s in-ring ability, it’s worth noting that she just started wrestling last year.
More On Maxxine Dupri’s WWE Career
WWE fans may recall that Dupri’s initial introduction to the company involved being a manager for Maximum Male Models (ma.ce & man.soor) in 2022. After the group fizzled, she started working as a manager for Alpha Academy last year and gained fan interest.
Her popularity alongside Alpha Academy made them collectively featured ‘babyfaces’ on WWE TV. After a few months as solely a manager, WWE began to involve her in a feud with her faction against The Viking Raiders (Erik, Ivar & Valhalla). She would finally make her in-ring debut teaming with Gable and Otis in a Mixed Tag Team win against The Viking Raiders at WWE Monday Night Raw on July 3, 2023. Although she seemed limited in-ring for her debut, fans accepted Dupri and showed appreciation for her efforts.
Since then, she has only competed in 12 matches, according to Cagematch. While she may believe she could be better in-ring, she has less than a year of experience and room to improve. Hopefully, the support for other superstars like Ripley will give fans a different perspective and allow Dupri to grow as a performer.
Zelina Vega has revealed her goal to become a champion in WWE and will go the extra mile to achieve that.
Over the years, Zelina Vega’s role in WWE has evolved. From serving as a manager to becoming an active in-ring performer, her career has seen a major shift. She has also become a part of LWO and one of the biggest moments in her career took place last year when she faced Rhea Ripley at Backlash in Puerto Rico where she received a grand ovation from the fans.
Zelina Vega has also showcased impressive performances in the recent past and earned support from the fans. However, her momentum was lost at the end of last year and has been striving ever since.
On last week’s SmackDown, Zelina Vega competed qualifying match for the Women’s Elimination Chamber match against Tiffany Stratton in a losing effort.
On last night’s Raw, Vega yet again had the chance to qualify as she competed in the Last Chance Battle Royal. However, her arch-rival Elektra Lopez eliminated her and Raquel Rodriguez eventually emerged victorious by last eliminating Chelsea Green.
Zelina Vega: I will make sure that at some point, I am standing there as champion
In a WWE Raw Exclusive, Zelina Vega shared her thoughts on her loss but said that she won’t back down and contend for the title. She said:
“I don’t think anybody could imagine…not many people know what it’s like to be just having the title within your grasp, and I’ve been chasing this since Backlash, okay, and now Rhea gets to go along to Australia and have exactly what I had in Puerto Rico. She gets to just have that love and be the champion, and it’s great, except now I’m here getting left behind because now I’m trying to get my hands on Zelina Vega-lite, Zelina Vega 2.0. Again, this is bigger than Elektra. I don’t care about Elektra. This is all Santos’ fault. Realistically, what did he do? He’s trying to find somebody to equalize me because I wouldn’t feed bus delusions? Is that really what this comes down to? I’m done with playing second-best or being in people’s shadows. I’m done with that. They get to go on to Elimination Chamber and go to WrestleMania, and have these amazing moments, and I’m stuck behind.”
She added:
“I’m not gonna let that happen anymore. When I tell you that something in me recently has broken, I’m not saying that to scare anybody. I’m not saying it as a threat. I’m telling you, this is what’s going to happen, and it is a warning to anybody that gets in my way. Whoever walks out of WrestleMania the champion, that is who I’m setting my sights on, and that is exactly who I’m gunning for, to take that title. I don’t care if I’m on Raw or SmackDown. I will make sure that at some point, I am standing there as champion. I don’t care how I have to do it. But first thing’s first, I’m going to find Elektra. I don’t care if I have to rip this arena apart to find her.”
The 2024 Elimination Chamber event will take place on Saturday, February 24, 2024, at Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia. The show will start at 5:00 AM EST, and keep an eye on SEScoops for the coverage of the show.
WWE Superstars are prone to get tattoos, and then they get extra love by sharing their new ink on social media. Now, two WWE Superstars have new art in their skin, and they got those pieces for a good reason.
Zelina Vega has been making waves in WWE since her return in 2022. Apart from WWE, she extends her influence beyond wrestling as she embraces the role of a budding YouTube personality along with Twitch streamer.
Zelina Vega & Dakota Kai’s New Tattoos
Recently, Zelina Vega, in collaboration with Dakota Kai, set a bold target for their YouTube channel. They put their eyes on a goal to reach 15,000 subscribers. Upon successfully attaining this significant milestone, the duo opted for a unique celebration by getting matching tattoos.
In a video shared on Zelina Vega’s Instagram, the two chronicle their tattoo experience. Their new tattoos matched their passions and personalities to a tee, as they got some Pokémon ink.
Choosing Pokemon-themed tattoos to mark the 15k subscriber achievement, Dakota Kai selects a Vulpix tattoo, while Zelina Vega opts for a Seel tattoo.
Happy 15k!! Thank you all for getting @zelvxandcharliegirl to our new milestone! What should our 20k be?? thank you @ownyoursummer for the dope #Pokemon tattoos!
Beyond her YouTube accomplishments, Zelina Vega solidified her commitment to WWE by recently signing a long-term deal. That ensured her continued presence with the company for years to come.
Fans can anticipate with excitement the future ventures from the LWO member. She has also been receiving rave reviews for her character work on WWE television.
Dakota Kai is still going strong as a member of Damage CTRL. Although she may still be waiting out her knee injury, she was still featured on WWE television practically every week, which kept her face out there and her brand relevant. Obviously, both Vega and Kai are connecting with fans in a big way, as evidence by their latest subscriber accomplishment.
WWE signed new contracts with Charlotte Flair, Rey Mysterio, and Dominik Mysterio at the end of 2023. The company was not finished inking deals with top talents.
Zelina Vega’s WWE Contract
PW Insider reports that Zelina Vega has come to terms with WWE, sealing a new multi-year deal with the company. The exact length of her deal was not disclosed.
Multiple WWE sources reportedly confirmed this signing, which took place in the aftermath of Endeavor’s takeover of WWE. Zelina Vega will remain with WWE for years to come.
Zelina Vega’s Road to WWE
Zelina Vega was known as Thea Trinidad in Impact Wrestling, Where she was a highlighted star when she started with the company in 2011. She eventually departed Impact Wrestling in 2013, and after a few years on the indies, WWE scooped her up.
Zelina Vega’s journey with WWE began with an NXT deal in 2017, and she has remained a consistent figure with the company
There was a notable exception to her WWE run, which was that eight-month stretch of time when she was released in 2020. There was tension over WWE changing their third party platform policy, which suddenly prohibited Vega from streaming on Twitch, something she was not willing to give up.
Zelina Vega eventually returned to WWE, and she has remained on Twitch as well. Vega evolved from serving as a manager for Andrade to becoming an active in-ring performer. As part of the LWO, Zelina Vega’s biggest standout moment may be her match against Rhea Ripley at Backlash in Puerto Rico. She received a hero’s welcome for that show, and the Puerto Rican fans were fully behind her.
A WWE SmackDown Superstar impressed a lot of people behind the scenes by working the latest episode of the blue brand while ill.
The December 15, episode of SmackDown saw the return of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, who was immediately confronted by Randy Orton. While the Viper demanded a match against Reigns for the Royal Rumble PLE, the Tribal Chief was in no hurry to grant the match. The show also saw the return of AJ Styles, who turned heel with an attack on LA Knight.
This week’s show also saw the continuation of the U.S. Championship Contenders Tournament. NXT’s Carmelo Hayes defeated Grayson Waller to advance to the next round while Kevin Owens bested Austin Theory.
The night was doubly tough for Vega, as WWE also filmed its December 22 episode last night, giving the roster more time during the Holidays to spend with their families. On this week’s live episode of SmackDown, Vega teamed with ‘Michin’ Mia Yim in a losing effort to Damage CTRL’s Asuka & Kairi Sane. For more information on what Vega will do on next week’s edition of the blue brand, click here.
WWE introduced a brand new match type before this week’s episode of SmackDown went on the air. Click here to find out more.
Zelina Vega’s love of anime is hardly a secret, but the Superstar struggled to explain one of the most popular series ever to Vince McMahon.
Vega’s time in WWE has been somewhat mixed and in late 2020, she was fired from the company minutes after expressing support for unionization.
Rehired in the summer of 2021, Vega would win that year’s Queen’s Crown Tournament and the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.
Crunchyroll? Is That Sushi?
Vega has been able to incorporate her love anime and Japanese culture into her WWE character, and can often be found cosplaying on social media.
Recently, Vega discussed how she was able to have an entrance inspired by Naruto’s Madara Uchiha for the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble match.
Vega told I Hear Voices hosts Will Friedle (Batman Beyond) and Christy Clark Romano (Kim Possible) that explaining the concept to Vince McMahon proved to be quite the task.
“I told him ‘I want Neil Kaplan [English voice of Madara] to do my entrance for the Royal Rumble.’ Vince was like, ‘why? Well, he is the voice of Madara Uchiha. ‘Who’s that?‘ I was like, OK. Do you know what Crunchyroll is? He’s like ‘it’s sushi, yes.'”
Zelina Vega
Vega realized that for McMahon to understand her ideas, she would need to speak his language.
“[I said] Crunchyroll is like the Netflix of anime. He’s like ‘okay, I get that.‘ So Naruto is like the WWE of anime. He’s like ‘okay, I like Naruto. This is good.‘ Madara is kind of like what Paul Heyman is to Roman! He was like ‘okay, we need it.'”
Zelina Vega.
Zelina would get her Naruto-inspired entrance and would last over 17 minutes in the match, scoring one elimination (Sasha Banks) before being tossed out by Rhea Ripley.
WWE will be adding some new royalty to their history books with the crowning of a new King and Queen of the Ring later this year.
It has been confirmed that the King and Queen of the Ring event will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, May 27.
WWE’s most recent coronation also happened in Saudi Arabia, at the Crown Jewel 2021 event.
At that show, Xavier Woods (who had rallied for the return of the KOTR tournament) was crowned King.
Zelina Vega, mere months after her return to WWE, bested Doudrop to win the ‘Queen’s Crown Tournament’ as WWE opted against calling her Queen of the Ring.
Unhappy
For the video package aired on Raw, WWE featured several Superstars, but two notable exceptions were Vega and Woods.
On Twitter, Vega expressed her displeasure at the fact that the most recent King and Queen of WWE were nowhere to be seen.
Love that the last and FIRST Queen Of The Ring wasn’t shown in that clip but ok ??
The first King of the Ring tournament took place back in 1985, when Don ‘The Rock’ Muraco captured the crown, besting the Iron Sheik in the finals.
In the following years, Harley Race, Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase, Tito Santana, and Bret Hart would all be crowned King.
In 1993, WWE introduced the King of the Ring event to Television, with Bret once again winning, becoming the only two-time King of the Ring winner in history.
WWE Superstar Zelina Vega was able to take some time away from the ring to present awards at this weekend’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
These fan-voted awards began in 2017, and according to Crunchyroll themselves, the “global event has annually recognized anime’s finest series and films.”
Crunchyroll is a popular American video-on-demand streaming service that specializes in Japanese anime and was founded in 2006.
Zelina Vega
At the awards, Zelina Vega walked the red (or orange) carpet for the ceremony, and presented several awards.
The former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion presented the Best Romance award to Kaguya-sama: Love Is War – Ultra Romantic.
Vega also presented the Best Anime Song to Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 for their track “The Rumbling” by SiM.
In an Instagram post, Vega said it was an “absolute honor” to be involved with the awards ceremony.
Zelina Vega’s love for anime and Japanese pop culture is hardly a secret to those who have followed the career of the 2021 Queen’s Crown Tournament winner.
During a recent interview with IGN, Vega spoke about her dream to one day be part of an Anime herself.
“I’m a huge fan of Naruto and Demon Slayer, and I’m just like, ‘Man, it would be amazing to have this full circle of voicing a character and then cosplaying them in the ring.”
Zelina Vega.
Vega is set to be part of the upcoming Street Fighter 6 video game commentary team.
Legado Del Fantasma appeared on WWE’s The Bump earlier today. Santos Escobar will be facing Ricochet this Friday night in the finals of the SmackDown World Cup.
The winner of the tournament will go on to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship. Ricochet advanced to the finals of the tournament last week after Gunther and Imperium distracted Braun Strowman. The distraction allowed Ricochet to roll-up the Monster of All Monsters for the pinfall victory.
Legado Del Fantasma was asked about The Bloodline during their appearance on the show. Joaquin Wilde said of course they want to be the ones that dethrone The Usos and The Bloodline.
Zelina Vega then took a shot at The Wiseman Paul Heyman and claimed she was at a higher level than him.
“Yeah, I mean, I can see me going up against Paul Heyman,” said Vega. “Paul already knows that I’m not only on his level but higher. I’m pretty sure when it comes to The Bloodline, like I said, give it time because I have my eyes on Paul. Hey Paul.” [From 51:16 to 51:34]
Vega also poked fun at SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey during her appearance on WWE The Bump.
“I think Ronda is difficult to beat overall as a human,” said Vega. “I’m not stupid to that. But you also have to find where is the kink in her armor and I found it. Oh yeah, I found it but it took a lot of research. But listen, again, she’s dominant.
There is nothing that she can’t do. But when it comes to brains, and again I’ve said this before. She has the brawn but I’m not so sure she has the brains, and definitely not to my extent. So, I kind of did find the kink in her armor. And when I’m ready to expose that, I hope she is too.” [53:32 54:08]
Zelina Vega is currently the manager of the Legado Del Fantama faction on WWE SmackDown.
The leader of the group, Santos Escobar will battle Ricochet in the finals of the SmackDown World Cup this Friday night, with the winner earning a match against Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship.
Speaking on the “That’s Dope” podcast, Vega commented on what it is like working at a WWE TV taping.
Usually you know going into it who’s gonna win. When you get into the building, you’re gonna have a match with so and so. You’re gonna win.
And if it plays into a certain story, there’s always like little things that they’ll tell you like, ‘Oh you have to make sure you do this’ or, ‘You have to make sure you hit this mark.
Vince McMahon resigned from WWE in July. He announced his resignation on Twitter as he was under investigation by WWE’s Board of Directors for alleged hush money payments to former female employees. Former EVP of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis was dismissed during the scandal.
Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan replaced Vince as co-CEOs, while Triple H replaced John Laurinaitis as EVP of Talent Relations. The Game also serves as WWE’s Chief Content Officer.
Vega noted that both Stephanie McMahon and Triple H have known her for a while and trust her with promos.
When it comes to me because they’ve [Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque and Stephanie McMahon] known me for a while, it’s like, ‘Hey we can already trust you on the microphone you’re not gonna say anything that’s gonna get us in trouble. You’re gonna keep to your character so here’s the skeleton of what we need from you and just fill in the meat.’
A new trademark application filing indicates WWE will be launching a new event in the coming months. Last Friday, October 28, World Wrestling Entertainment applied to trademark the term QUEEN OF THE RING.
According to the United States Patent & Trademark Office database, the usage for the phrase will cover “Wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered through broadcast media including television” as well as merchandise and other related uses.
We’re already in November and WWE’s premium live events calendar is set for the remainder of the year, but WWE fans can expect to see the crown a King and Queen of the Ring in 2023.
Searching for a Queen
(WWE)
WWE has crowned many ‘Kings of the Ring’ over the years, but never a Queen of the Ring. We’ve had Sensational Queen Sherri and Queen Sharmell, but they were crowned by association to their royal male counterparts.
WWE held the inaugural Queen’s Crown tournament last year. Zelina Vega was crowned the winner at Crown Jewel in October 2021. She reigned as Queen Zelina until May 2022, when she was forced out of action due to an injury that required surgery. Vega recently returned to WWE television (without the Queen gimmick) and now leads the Legado Del Fantasma faction on the SmackDown brand.
The King and Queen honors have helped breathe life into various mid-card acts over the years. The news of a Queen of the Ring tournament comes amid buzz that WWE is looking to hold another all-women’s Evolution premium live event next year as well.
Zelina Vega made her return to WWE on the October 7 episode of WWE SmackDown by being the new manager of Legado Del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro) to attack Hit Row (Top Dolla, B-Fab, & Ashante “Thee” Adonis).
Throughout her career with WWE, Vega has filled multiple roles, including managing Andrade in NXT and the main roster, winning the first-ever Queen of the Ring tournament and the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles.
While speaking on Busted Open Radio, Zelina discussed her opportunities in WWE and wanting the ball.
Wanting The Chance
(via WWE)
“I had those questions like, ‘Can I do this by myself? Can I carry all about me?’ Damn right I can. Then, I became Queen,” she said when discussing moving away from being utilized more as a manager. “Now, it’s taking both parts and combining them together and doing this for me but also doing this for my team and getting people to see that side of me. For the longest time, I was like, ‘Damn, they have no idea what they have.’ I always told them, ‘Give me the ball. If I drop it, screw me, but you’ll never know until you try.’”
Vega noted that you have to trust people and give them a chance as WWE did with Liv Morgan once fans got behind her.
She continued, “I heard from so many different people, ‘it’s just a matter of time. When is Zelina going to get this chance?’ I’m waiting. I’m here. For the longest, I felt like they were afraid to do it. The only thing they’re going to regret is that they didn’t do it sooner, that they didn’t take a chance on me sooner. They have no idea. This is one side of me, and you’re getting a different side now, but imagine what could happen if you actually give me the ball to just be me and have that opportunity. I feel like, for the longest, they were afraid to do it. What’s stopping you? Clearly, I can do for me alone, I can do it for other people, why not give me the actual chance? Are they afraid? What could you really lose when it comes to me? I’ve handled literally everything that has been handed to me. I think it’s just a matter of time.”
Before her return, Vega had been off television for several months due to an injury as she last wrestled on the April 11 episode of WWE Raw, losing to Bianca Belair.
On Friday’s WWE SmackDown, Legado Del Fantasma will be in six-man tag team action when they take on Hit Row and their mystery partner.
WWE is pulling out all the stops for tonight’s episode of SmackDown on FOX, which will serve as the season premiere of the blue brand.
Tonight’s episode will air from the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Vega’s Return
Ahead of tonight’s SmackDown, Zelina Vega was spotted at Boston Airport, fueling speculation of an appearance.
PW Insider has confirmed that Vega is written into tonight’s plans and is sporting a new blond look.
The former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion hasn’t appeared on TV since the April 11, 2022, episode of Monday Night Raw, where she faced Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair.
Not long after, Vega required surgery, which has kept her out of action since then.
Despite her surgery, Vega has still made a handful of appearances off WWE TV, including appearing at San Diego Comic-Con for the WWE Mattel panel.
Vega returned to WWE last year, after being released minutes after expressing support for unionization.
Since returning, she has held the Women’s Tag Titles with Carmella and won the first-ever Queen’s Cup tournament.
Tonight’s SmackDown
Tonight’s season premiere of SmackDown will also be the final episode before this Saturday’s WWE Extreme Rules premium live event.
It has been confirmed that Solo Sikoa, accompanied by Sami Zayn will face Ricochet.
Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER will defend against Sheamus in a rematch from their instant classic from WWE Clash at the Castle.
Roman Reigns will come face to face with Logan Paul ahead of their Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match at Crown Jewel.
