Former Queen of the Ring winner Zelina Vega recently opened up about the origins of her royal accent gimmick—and it turns out the idea came directly from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Vega reflected on her 2021 Queen of the Ring win and the unique character direction that followed.
The infamous accent, somewhere between British and Australian, quickly became a signature element of her on-screen persona, and Vega revealed how it came to be. “That’s where the weird Australian, British kind of accent started,” Vega explained. “Vince [McMahon] asked me, ‘Can you do an accent?’ I was like, ‘I could do a really bad one.’ And he’s like, ‘That’s even better. Do that!’ I’m like, ‘All right, cool.’ So yeah, that’s how it started.”
Before stepping into her royal role, Vega sought advice from the man behind one of WWE’s most iconic king gimmicks, King Booker himself. According to Vega, she connected with both Booker T and Sharmell right before the coronation and received their full support. “I did talk to Booker T right before I won it and I was like, ‘Hey, are you cool with me doing an accent if I end up doing this?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, for sure.’
I was talking to him and Sharmell, and he’s like, ‘Make sure you make it yours. But whatever feels natural to you, just amplify that.’”
Vega added that the interaction meant a lot to her on a personal level, revealing that King Booker was her favorite incarnation of the crown-bearing gimmick.
Vega’s Queen persona showcased her versatility and commitment to character work, something she’s long been praised for. While her accent initially sparked mixed reactions online, it added flair to her reign and paid homage to the theatrical tradition of WWE’s “King/Queen of the Ring” lineage.
With Vega continuing to evolve her presence both in and out of the ring, her ability to blend personality, heritage, and charisma remains one of her greatest strengths in the modern WWE landscape.
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