Zelina Vega made history earlier this year when she became the first-ever Women’s United States Champion in WWE, but the former Queen of the Ring has now revealed that the title win wasn’t part of a long-term plan — in fact, she didn’t even know about it until an hour before the show.
Appearing on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Vega discussed her victory over Chelsea Green on SmackDown, revealing that the win came as a surprise even to her. “They told me maybe, like, an hour or so before the show started… I just assumed that she was going over and that’s how it was gonna go,” Vega said.
She continued, “Until a producer pulled me aside. He’s like, ‘Hey, so by the way,’ and I’m like, ‘No, no.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah.’… It didn’t register. And then by the time it did, I was already holding it.”
The decision was so last-minute that WWE didn’t even have her custom side plates ready, emphasizing how unplanned the shift was.
“You ever notice that I’m the one who’s the promo, and yet I haven’t been able to cut promos?”
While the historic title win was a major milestone, Vega also opened up about creative frustrations regarding her portrayal as a babyface and the limited mic time she’s been given. “A much more ruthless side of me… has been wanting to come out for a while,” Vega said. “Especially like being a babyface, it was like, ‘Oh, you don’t want to sound like a heel.’ …But now I have a reason to be mad, and now I have a reason to talk the way I wanna talk.”
She questioned why someone known for her mic skills wasn’t being allowed to speak freely on television. “I think genuinely, people might be a little afraid… You ever notice that I’m the one who’s the promo, and yet I haven’t been able to cut promos? Why do you think that is?”
Vega’s reign as Women’s U.S. Champion was short-lived, as she lost the title to former STARDOM standout Giulia on the June 27th episode of WWE SmackDown.
Despite the loss, Vega’s comments suggest that a character evolution could be on the horizon, especially if WWE gives her more freedom to show the “ruthless” edge she believes has been held back.
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