Zelina Vega wins first ever Queen’s Crown tournament at WWE Crown Jewel 2021

Zelina Vega On Returning To WWE, Developing New Moves and Gear

Following her return to WWE, Zelina Vega sat down with Digital Spy to discuss the reasoning for it.

"More than anything, WWE has always been a place where I felt like I had unfinished business. For me, as a kid, I want to a champion and there are so many things I want to accomplish. Coming back, I set my eyes on the SmackDown Women's Championship. That's what I'm focused on the most and seeing where that takes me. After Bianca vs. Sasha, who knows. Will it be Bianca that remains champion or will it be Sasha? Either one, I'm coming after them and I can't wait for that."

When asked about coming up with new ideas for moves and gear, Vega spoke:

"I had time for both. Sometimes, you do need that mental break. It may not be wrestling, it may be anything. You take your time, revitalize yourself, get refreshed and you can dive back into that creative side of you and think 'what can I do differently?' or 'how can I add to this style to my moveset?' There are a lot of things you'll see now with my outfits, especially my jacket. I feel like I've taken them to a whole new level and how intricate they are and what certain things mean. Who I'm cosplaying and why, there is always a meaning. Then, feeling like I want to add more striking to my moves. As a manager, I never got to add too much of a lucha style to me. Now, I can display that, especially with people like Toni Storm, Bianca, and Sasha. It's cool to mix it up with them and see a whole new side of me."

Zelina Vega Returns To WWE

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX saw Sonya Deville bring Vega back, introducing her as the next blue brand entrant in the Women’s Money In the Bank Ladder Match.

Vega, playing the heel, cut a promo on the mic about how she will win the MITB briefcase and then cash in to become either the WWE NXT, RAW or SmackDown Women’s Champion. She was interrupted by Liv Morgan, who was still upset about not getting a Money In the Bank spot while Carmella and Vega have.

Vega had been released in late 2020 following issues with the company over their third party edict. It was recently revealed that the company was bringing her back, a few weeks before her husband, Aleister Black, was released on June 2 as a part of budget cuts. 

Zelina Vega Reportedly Returning To WWE

Zelina Vega (Thea Trinidad) is reportedly headed back to WWE.

Vega was at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando on Thursday of this week, according to Fightful Select. Word is that Vega was at the Performance Center for some sort of filming with the company.

Wrestling Inc. recently learned that Vega’s WWE return has been planned for a while now, before WrestleMania 37.

There’s no word yet on when Vega will be back, but we will keep you updated on her status. WWE recently started airing vignettes for the return of Vega’s husband, Aleister Black.

Vega was released from her WWE contract back on November 13 after issues with the company related to their edict on third party activity with sites such as Twitch. Her 90-day non-compete clause expired in mid-February, but, she has focused on acting and video game streaming since leaving WWE, and has not worked with any other wrestling promotions.

WWE Confirms Reason For Zelina Vega's Release

WWE confirmed to Sports Illustrated that Zelina Vega (Thea Trinidad) was terminated on Friday for breaching her contract.

The "final straw" was considered to be Vega opening an OnlyFans account, despite WWE's edict on third-party platforms. Her account featured exclusive videos and photos of "cosplays, lingerie, swimsuits and more," for $30 a month. In September, WWE Superstars were told they would have to close down accounts on sites, like Cameo and Twitch — even if they were using their real names and avoided any affiliation with WWE.

Vega was reportedly very vocal about keeping her Twitch account, but according to the SI report, WWE upper management felt she "boxed them into a difficult situation" by sticking with her third-party platforms. WWE had said previously talent would be fined, or potentially released, if they didn't adhere to their demands.

This, of course, has brought on the debate of how WWE treats its talent, as they are currently classified as independent contractors. That conversation has grabbed not only the attention of Andrew Yang, but, SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, who sent Wrestling Inc. a statement this morning in regards to the possibility of working with wrestlers:

"Wrestling is as much about media as it is sports, and we are going to directly engage with members of this profession to help find ways for them to protect themselves," Carteris wrote. "As more people reinvest in unions, and as more working people are harassed by employers who don't want to protect them, SAG-AFTRA is committed to doing what we can to help professional wrestlers secure the protections they deserve."

Carteris also personally reached out to Vega on social media after Zelina's "I support unionization" tweet picked up steam.