Zelina Vega crossed off a major milestone accomplishment when she took down Chelsea Green to become the WWE Women’s United States Champion, and she’s been a fighting Champion ever since. With each Title defense, Vega has been able to show off the impressive skillset and charisma that have made her a WWE favorite. ComicBook had the chance to speak with Vega all about her WWE Women’s United States Title run and the other major event that happened that night, as well as her unplanned but priceless moment with Chelsea Green, her dream scenario at Evolution, and her evolving feud with Giulia.
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A One-of-a-Kind Moment
April 25th was a major milestone for Vega, and you could see the emotion and meaningfulness of that moment right after she took down Chelsea Green to become the new WWE Women’s United States Champion on SmackDown. Despite meddling from Alba Fyre and Piper Niven, she would still find a way to survive their interference and defeat the Champion, though it wasn’t the only surprise of the night. That’s because Vega’s husband, Aleister Black, would also make his WWE return later in the episode, so Vega had a lot on her mind throughout the episode.
“So that day was actually more so about my husband coming back than it was about me winning the Title, because I didn’t even know until not long before the show started,” Vega said. “So my brain was in a completely different place, and then all of a sudden, I got that news, and I was like, oh, okay, so I didn’t really have time to be more nervous than usual. It was awesome because it was just nice to see my husband back at work again. That was a huge thing for me. We had been waiting for that for years, and so it was nice to see him around.”
“And all of a sudden it was like, okay, now we’re running into this, so I didn’t even get to process it, really. I think for me it’s like, you never really, I don’t want to say get excited about things until they happen, but yeah. So, like, when I actually heard and knew as I’m walking up the ramp, once you see me grab my face, I think that’s when I realized,” Vega said. “And it kind of set in, and it was like a reality for me. So, yeah, it was exciting and it was everything that I wanted it to be, especially because it was my first singles Title ever. So it’s still very, very special to me, and it’s something that I had been wanting for a very long time.”
“And when I first got to WWE, I was a manager. I knew that I wanted to transition into a wrestler, but my boss saw me as a manager, and that’s where my focus was, but I knew what my ultimate goal was, and it was to become Champion. So nice to finally, after years and years, finally be saying that I am one is crazy,” Vega said.
Those who watched the SmackDowns leading up to that episode also saw a series of teaser vignettes for the return of Aleister Black, and one of those teasers played while Vega was in the ring ahead of her match. Those who were at the arena actually saw Vega react to the teaser video while she was in the ring, where she couldn’t help but smile at the video teasing her husband’s anticipated return to WWE, and she did see those videos after they hit social media.
“Yes, I did, and honestly, like, it’s so hard for me to keep a poker face when I just, I see him or I know it has anything to do with him. Like, even when we’re home, even now I’m smiling about it because it’s just, it has to do with him. So I just, I’m naturally just happy,” Vega said.
“I think there was that time. I know exactly which one you’re talking about, where I’m sitting on the top turnbuckle in my pose still and I’m looking at it [the teaser video] and I’m trying so hard not to sell it, but I’m just smiling because I’m so happy and I’m so excited and I see it,” Vega said. “And I did notice too, that they always had us, even now they still have us back to back. So it’s like, it’s hard not to just see it and not be excited about it.”
A Fighting Champion
Vega’s Title run has allowed her to showcase her versatile skillset against a host of different opponents, whether that’s Chelsea Green, Piper Niven, Alba Fyre, Charlotte Flair, or Giulia. Each opponent has allowed Vega to show a different side of her in-ring arsenal, and she continues to deliver impressive moments, including that epic Super Code Red to Niven on a recent SmackDown.
When asked if she feels the same way about the skillset showcase, Vega said, “I do, and I also think that I had been a heel for so long that, you know, the rule of thumb is like you never want to outshine the babyface, and you have a job as a heel, and it’s to obviously be over, but it’s to get the babyface over,” Vega said. “That’s your job, and for so long, that was my job. So I didn’t really get to display a lot of the things that I could do and really just, I guess, delve into that until recently.”
“Honestly, I think it was when I was in the match with Charlotte and Giulia when we got this is awesome chants, I was like, oh, man, I really want Charlotte. A lot of people talk about their favorite opponents, and for me, I have my favorites, but I had never wrestled Charlotte until that point,” Vega said. “So I was like, I see why people like wrestling her, and I just felt like the crowd was so very, there wasn’t any split. It was good guy, bad guy, and it was easy to play with them, but it was also easy to play off her.”
“It’s nice to actually say, I know where I want to go with this Title. I know where they’re asking me, who do I want to mix it up with next, I know who I’m going to say. It’s nice to get those opportunities now, and I love the pleasant surprises of Piper for Instance, I love wrestling Piper for Queen of the Ring, but for so long after that, we hadn’t really matched up until recently, and I just keep seeing, like, oh, they’re wrestling soulmates,” Vega said. “And I’m like, you know what I think so. She’s someone that, I just love wrestling Piper. She’s so talented, and I feel like she’s very underrated, and when it comes to someone that, you know, when you go into the ring with Piper, you’re just like, okay, this is going to hurt. It’s going to suck, but it’s going to be great.”
“At the same time, like, you know, you want to make magic with her, and honestly, one of my favorite matches now is definitely the Bakersfield Brawl, which I was like, is it an extreme rules match and a hardcore match? I don’t know. But yeah, the Bakersfield Brawl is definitely one of my favorites because we just, we got a chance to just do stuff we weren’t able to do prior. Like, weapons. I was like, where do you hold the kendo, bro? It was just like one of those things where I was like, I’ve never been in a match like this before. So, yeah, it was just so cool to be in there and get to work with different weapons and get to work with Piper in that moment. I feel like we really created some fun TV time there and a fun match, so I can’t wait to see where they’re going to take me next with Gulia and everything. It’s exciting. Like you said, it’s something that I haven’t really gotten a chance to do prior,” Vega said.
Vega has always been a star on the microphone, but she’s also getting some fun comedy chops too, including a hilarious moment where she cut off Chelsea’s on the phone rant in the best way possible. “Thank you, that wasn’t planned, not like that anyway,” Vega said. “That wasn’t the way it was supposed to go, but let’s just say the phone wasn’t cooperating, and I was just like, you know what? Here.”
The Next Challenger
Even before Vega jumped in the ring with Giulia and Charlotte, she had already had a few confrontations with Giulia backstage, who made it known that she was looking to take Vega’s Women’s United States Championship for her own. Vega has been aware of Giulia for quite some time, and Giulia is certainly deserving of the hype, which is why Vega is excited to see what they can achieve in the ring.
“So I had watched Giulia in Stardom prior, and I always liked her. I always liked her style. I always thought that she was really aggressive and she has this way of being one way backstage, but then when she steps out there, she’s like this being, and I do think that she definitely has aura, as the kids say. But I’ve always enjoyed her work, and I think that when it comes to this Title, I wanted to be able to have different types of matches with different types of people and be able to mix it up with anyone,” Vega said. “That’s what I feel like this Title should be about is the workhorse Title, the one that people get to just have great wrestling matches.”
“I think when it comes to her, she reminds me of two of my other favorite opponents in Io and Asuka, so I can’t wait to see what we’re going to do. And even just that small, I say small, but the match that we had with Charlotte, like that three-way, the smaller interactions that her and I had in the ring, I was like, oh, I think this is going to be good,” Vega said. “Like, I just kind of, you get a feel for someone when you start to work with them, and I was like, I think this is going to be really good, and even back then we didn’t know what was going to happen, you know, Title-wise, is she coming for this Title? I mean, to me it’s like everybody and their mother is coming for the Title, so I’m ready at all time.”
“It’s one of those things that I think it’s exciting because I don’t, especially someone like me who’s, I mean, my God, I’ve been looked at as like the underdog my whole life and you know, always like, she’s not gonna be Champion or oh yeah, she’s too small to make this happen,” Vega said. “But I have the personality of a 7-foot, 8-foot 12 person. Like, I don’t back down from anyone. I’m not scared of anything. I’m like, if I can get past the girls who I grew up with in Queens, trust me, I will get past you too. It is fine and I’m excited about it, and we’re going to make it work, but my thing is too, win, lose, or draw, I want to make sure that I give it everything that I have. Every part of my heart goes into everything that I do out there, and especially now, I feel like I have something to prove even more. It’s like work to get in, work to stay in. So yeah, I think when it comes to what’s next, it’s probably going to be one of the harder matches of my career, but I’m excited about it.”
Evolution 2 Has Finally Arrived
While it’s been discussed in rumors and reports for years, WWE had never made a second Evolution premium live event a reality until just recently. Now the all-women’s event is finally returning next month, and Vega certainly has a dream scenario in mind for the long overdue return.
“I thought the same way. I was like, oh, Evolution, we always hear about it, but we never know if it’s going to happen. You never know the when, and I guess they always say timing is everything, right? But when it comes to Evolution, I think there was such a hunger for it, especially because the first one was so good and now, I mean I just want to be a part of it in the way that I get to defend the Title or I get to, who knows,” Vega said. “I definitely want to be a part of it in some way, some capacity, but my dream scenario is to have my match against Asuka. I would love to have another match against Asuka because I mean, even just her coming back on Monday was so exciting, and she looks amazing, and my God, she hasn’t missed a step.
“It’s Asuka for God’s sakes, but yeah, I would love to have another match with Asuka. Whereas now I am Champion and she’d be coming after me. Whereas prior it was always me the challenger, her the Champion. So yeah, I would love to have that match with Asuka for sure.,” Vega said.
Vega will defend her WWE Women’s United States Championship tonight on SmackDown against Giulia, and you can tune into tonight’s SmackDown on USA Network at 8 PM EST to check out the show.
Who do you want to see Vega face next, and who would you like to see her face at Evolution? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things wrestling with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
