Former WWE Superstar Zelina Vega has discussed the creative freedom she hopes to embrace outside the company, revealing how restrictions on her promos, appearance and in-ring opportunities influenced the development of her new Xelina persona.
During an interview with Ring The Belle, Vega explained that her new character will not be a complete departure from what fans have seen previously. Instead, she intends to showcase aspects of her personality and abilities that she believes were limited during her WWE career.
Vega particularly emphasized her desire to demonstrate her promotional skills and compete in matches she previously wanted to have. “It won’t be that different, but it’ll at least allow people to see the promos, like, I’m the mouth. That’s just what, like, the promos that people never really got to see in me, that’s absolutely going to be seen.”
She continued by describing the restrictions she experienced, claiming that she was sometimes prevented from outshining other performers or making certain creative choices involving her presentation. “Like, the matches that I’ve wanted to have, and just being able to show, like, I don’t have any more restrictions. Like, I don’t have a, ‘Well, you can get in there and have this promo, but you can’t outshine this person,’ or, ‘You can’t do this,’ or, ‘You can’t wear that,’ or, ‘You can’t have your wigs look this color.’ You can’t—like, it’s literally freedom.”
Vega also revealed that pop star Christina Aguilera played a significant role in inspiring the Xelina identity.
She pointed to Aguilera’s transformation into her Xtina persona as an example of an artist embracing a more authentic version of herself without being constrained by outside expectations. “But also, I looked at Christina Aguilera back in the day when she turned into Xtina. It’s like she embraced that new, authentic, sexy version of herself and said, ‘f*ck you guys, I’m going to be me,’ and that’s how I came up with that.”
For Vega, the Xelina persona represents an opportunity to express herself more freely while retaining the qualities that established her as a recognizable performer in WWE.
Her comments suggest that fans can expect a greater emphasis on her microphone skills, personal presentation and preferred in-ring opportunities as she enters the next chapter of her wrestling career.
