Zelina Vega Set For Shock WWE Return

Thea Trinidad spotted at the WWE Performance Center ahead of apparent return.

by Andrew Pollard
Zelina Vega
WWE

In some slightly surprising news, it looks as if Zelina Vega is getting set to make a shock WWE return.

As per Fightful Select and Wrestling INC, Vega has been spotted at the WWE Performance Center to partake in some filming for the company. The belief is that the WWE return of the real-life Thea Trinidad has been planned since before WrestleMania 37.

Zelina was released by WWE in November after taking umbrage with WWE cracking down on talent independently embarking on third party activity, such as Twitch and Cameo. Despite asking to speak to Vince McMahon about this crackdown, Vega's request was refused and she was let go by the sports entertainment behemoth.

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When she was last seen on WWE programming, Zelina had distanced herself from former clients Andrade and Angel Garza, and was competing on the SmackDown brand.

The hugely talented performer’s 90-day non-compete clause expired in February, although she has yet to resurface in any other wrestling promotions as of yet. Instead, the former TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion has focussed her attention on streaming and acting.

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It’s not known at this stage when Zelina Vega will return to WWE TV or in what role she’ll be utilised, but maybe – just maybe – she could end up tied in with the reinvention that her husband Aleister Black has undergone recently.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.