Zelina Vega Aims To Win Championship In Honor Of Her Father
Zelina Vega wants to right the wrong she suffered at Backlash 2023 and win a coveted prize to honor her late father.
Vega’s father was one of the thousands of people who tragically lost their lives in the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. To thank and honor her father, Vega has tried to win a big title on several occasions, most notably at Backlash 2023 when she challenged Rhea Ripley in a losing effort.
Despite that emotional loss in front of her fellow Puerto Ricans, Vega hasn’t given up on her goal. And while WWE hosted an episode of RAW which was on the 22nd anniversary of 9/11, Vega wasn’t announced for the show because she’s a SmackDown-exclusive wrestler.
Additionally, Zelina Vega told Bully Ray on Busted Open Radio that she didn’t want WWE’s decision-makers to book her for the September 11th RAW because she didn’t want to get ahead due to sympathy.
“I’d like to think that maybe part of it has to do with the fact that they wouldn’t want to do it just to do it because of the day. I think either way, you’re gonna get, ‘Oh, they only gave it to her because it’s 9/11 and they wanted to throw her a bone after blah-blah-blah happened at MSG,’ or ‘They just gave it to her in Puerto Rico because she’s from there.’
I’d like to think that they’d want to give it to me because I deserve it. That’s what I’m looking for. I don’t want to be thrown a bone because this is a sympathy bone that you get on the day. As much as it would be literally everything I could have wanted, I want to get it because I deserve it.”
Zelina Vega vows to keep her promise no matter how poorly things go for her
Zelina Vega continued by saying that, despite everything that has happened to her, she’s still committed to continue in WWE until she fulfills her promise and win for her late father.
“I genuinely believe that it has to [happen]. There’s no reason that it shouldn’t. I feel like a part of it was because of that, but it was also just them showing them that they loved me for me.
There’s just so much you can ignore the people, and what they want. I feel like if this continues that way, a decision’s gonna have to be forced at some point. So it’s just on me to keep doing what I’m doing because there’s nothing else I can do. I’m gonna do it for him.
I think a part of it definitely is feeling unfulfilled in this way. Because I started it because of him. I started because I made a promise, and even when I did get let go in 2020, I felt unfulfilled. I felt like I didn’t complete my promise, and I still don’t feel like I have until that’s complete.
I think because I genuinely feel like it will happen, I still keep going. I have that, I have my husband, who supports me so much, and my family that do. I feel like I have so many reasons to look forward that I don’t feel like it’s complete yet.”
h/t Fightful