For the second time in her WWE career, Zelina Vega found herself without a job after being released by the company in April. The release also included her husband, Aleister Black, with both departing WWE on the same day as part of a wave of roster cuts.
It wasn’t the first time Vega had experienced that situation. She was previously released by WWE in 2020 before making her return to the company just eight months later, eventually capturing championship gold and reestablishing herself as a featured member of the roster.
During a recent interview with Denise Salcedo of “Instinct Culture,” Vega reflected on her latest WWE departure and shared her thoughts on going through the experience for a second time. She said,
“I still had a wonderful career with WWE. Regardless of anything when it comes to that, obviously I was released prior as well; I still had almost a ten-year career there. The way I look at it is, yes, my husband and I were released but I was able to meet my husband and make him my husband because of WWE. I had that moment in Puerto Rico at Backlash because of WWE. I really try to spin things into a positive, regardless. It’s really hard because I’m such a big advocate for mental health that not everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows. Not every day is going to be a happy one. I’ve dealt with the ups and downs of it. I remember when I saw my phone vibrating, I was like, ‘Oh, shit.’ You don’t expect it, and then it hits; you’re like, ‘Alright.’ Either you go into panic mode or survival mode. I have much more a survival mode mentality, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with a hard time. I really try to hold on to the positive. I have such an amazing fucking fanbase because of WWE and TNA, I can’t disregard that either, and STARDOM, I’ve had a lot of people who stuck with me along the way, and it’s incredible. Without the Paige movie, I don’t even know you’d be looking at a person named Zelina Vega. There are so many people I have to thank along the way. I try really to hold onto the positive part.”
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