Zelina Vega Returns To WWE SmackDown After Six-Month Absence

Superstar ditches queen gimmick in return, teams with debuting faction.

by Scott Carlson
Zelina Vega SmackDown
WWE.com

Zelina Vega is back on WWE programming, returning to SmackDown Friday night after nearly six months away to join Legado Del Fantasma.

No longer sporting a crown, robe, scepter and fake British accept, Vega completely ditched her queen gimmick she had from winning the Queen's Crown tournament in October until she left WWE TV in April.

Vega had been teaming with Carmella prior to WrestleMania 38, where they lost the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship to Naomi & Sasha Banks. The following night on Raw, Vega lost to new Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair, then turned on Carmella, dissolving their partnership. She would then disappear from television until Friday night.

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On SmackDown, Vega joined Legado Del Fantasma in beating down Hit Row, seemingly replacing Elektra Lopez in the group. It's unclear right now whether Zelina will be primarily a manager for Legado, or if she'll be an active wrestler.

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Vega has served as a manager of a stable before, leading Andrade, Angel Garza and Austin Theory on the main roster. The less said about that example of futility, the better.

Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.