For those who follow WWE's weekly programming, the name Zelina Vega is likely very familiar, with the manager and in-ring performer standing as one of the brand's brightest up-and-coming names. As of today, however, Vega has officially been released from her contract with the major professional wrestling promotion.
The news comes courtesy of the WWE website, which posted a short notice announcing the performer's release and wishing her the best of luck in her future endeavors. Vega posted a message on her Twitter a mere ten minutes before the official announcement of her release, sharing to her followers: "I support unionization."
The news comes as something of a shock, with Vega's recent stint on WWE television indicating that she was still a core part of the company's plans. During last week's episode of Smackdown, she battled against fellow superstars Natalya and Ruby Riott in a triple threat Survivor Series qualifier match, while she recently had a heated feud with Asuka for the Raw Women's Championship. Very little information is currently available surrounding the termination of Vega's contract, with neither the star nor WWE discussing any further details.
Thea Megan Trinidad first debuted under her Zelina Vega alias back in 2017, where she quickly established a partnership with former United States Champion Andrade while the pair were in NXT. From there, the duo grew to be one of the show's biggest acts, with Andrade eventually securing the NXT Championship in a bout with Drew McIntyre. After a lengthy stint with the title, the two moved up to the main roster, where they've been engaging in various feuds since. Vega even starred in several high profile matches of her own, showcasing that she had the skills to be both a manager and an in-ring performer.
Away from her wrestling persona, Vega is also very active on social media, originally having a Twitch channel with her husband and fellow superstar Aleister Black. However, WWE made the controversial decision recently to control how its stars interacted with third-party apps, with the move seeing wrestlers like Vega, Paige, and AJ Styles forced to make significant changes to their Twitch streams. That being said, Vega has continued operating an OnlyFans account in spite of the new guidelines.
This isn't the first time WWE has removed a star very suddenly, with the company dumping a number of big names during the beginning of the pandemic. Rusev, Kurt Angle, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Heath Slater, EC3, Zack Ryder, Rowan, and more were let go during the mass exodus, as WWE dropped some of its biggest talents without warning. As other wrestling promotions continue to grow, there's no doubting Vega will be headlining wrestling shows again very soon.
Source: WWE