Zelina Vega
Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen[5] (born December 27, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and actress of Puerto Rican descent. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Zelina Vega, and is a member of Legado Del Fantasma and the Latino World Order. She is a former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion, and the winner of the 2021 Queen's Crown tournament. Trinidad is the first of just four women to hold the women's world tag team championships of both WWE and Impact Wrestling (the two others being Cassie Lee, Jessie McKay, and Chelsea Green).
Zelina Vega | |
---|---|
Birth name | Thea Megan Trinidad |
Born | Queens, New York City, U.S. | December 27, 1990
Spouse(s) | |
Family | Amazing Red (cousin) |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Divina Fly Queen Zelina[1] Rosita Thea Trinidad Zelina Vega[1] |
Billed height | 5 ft 1 in (155 cm)[2] |
Billed from | Queens, New York, U.S.[1] Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[3] |
Trained by | Javi-Air Azrieal Arturo Beristain Tony Salazar WWE Performance Center |
Debut | February 20, 2010[4] |
Trinidad is also known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Rosita, where she was a one-time TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with Sarita, and for various independent promotions under her real name. She debuted on WWE's NXT brand in 2017 under the ring name Zelina Vega, where she predominantly served as the manager of Andrade "Cien" Almas. WWE released Trinidad in November 2020, but re-signed her less than six months later.[6] Trinidad's ring name was changed to Queen Zelina after her Queen's Crown tournament win.
Trinidad portrayed fellow professional wrestler AJ Lee in the 2019 biographical film Fighting with My Family.
Early life
Thea Megan Trinidad was born in the Queens borough of New York City on December 27, 1990, and is of Puerto Rican descent.[7] She grew up watching professional wrestling with her father Michael and younger brother Timothy,[7][8] and was inspired by Rey Mysterio and Lita.[9] Her parents divorced when she and her brother were young, though they remained friends. She practiced swimming and baseball at school.[7] When she was 10 years old, her father was killed in the September 11 attacks; he had worked as a telecom analyst for Cantor Fitzgerald at the World Trade Center,[7][8] and was on the 103rd floor of the North Tower when it collapsed.
Her mother, Monique Ferrer, approached StoryCorps with the story of how she and her husband had met and what she experienced on the day of the attacks with his death, which StoryCorps used to create a short cartoon titled Always a Family as a way of honoring his memory.[10] She has said it was because of her father that made her enter the wrestling business. She was featured in an NBC special, titled Children of 9/11, on September 5, 2011.[7][11] Growing up, she also worked as a counselor on a camp for children that had lost parents on 9/11 and also participated in charitable causes such as Habitat for Humanity with Tuesday's Children after Hurricane Katrina.[7]
Professional wrestling career
Early career (2010–2011)
At the age of 17, Trinidad began training under Javi-Air, Azrieal, and T. J. Perkins.[7] Trinidad made her professional wrestling debut the ring name Divina Fly for National Wrestling Superstars (NWS) on February 20, 2010, in Bloomfield, New Jersey, where she competed against Brittney Savage in a losing effort.[12] On the August 21 NWS event, Fly competed against Niya in a losing effort.[12] On October 1 at an NWS event, Trinidad, now under the ring name Snookie Fly, teamed up with Judas Young and Mike Dennis in a losing effort to Brittney Savage and Team Supreme (Corvis Fear and Nicky Oceans) in a mixed-tag-team match.[12]
On February 20, 2010, she made her debut for Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU), under the ring name Divina Fly in a losing effort against Brittney Savage.[7] On June 26, 2010, Divina Fly and Niya, collectively known as The Fly Girls, competed for the WSU Tag Team Championships but lost to the reigning champions, Cindy Rogers and Jana.[7] On September 11, 2010, Divina Fly won a match against newcomer Candy Cartwright with a Fly Cutter.[7]
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2011–2013)
After being discovered by Tommy Dreamer,[7] Trinidad wrestled in a tryout dark match at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's (TNA) Impact! television tapings on January 11, 2011, losing to Angelina Love.[13] On January 27 it was reported that Trinidad had signed a contract with the promotion.[14] On the February 10 episode of Impact!, Trinidad, under the ring name Rosita debuted as the storyline cousin of Sarita in an eight-woman tag team match, where the two of them teamed with Madison Rayne and Tara and defeated Angelina Love, Mickie James, Velvet Sky and Winter, when Rosita pinned Sky.[15]
In February 2011, Rosita and Sarita defeated Angelina Love and Velvet Sky to earn a shot at Love's and Winter's TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship.[16] On March 13 at Victory Road, Rosita and Sarita defeated Love and Winter to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship, with Sarita proclaiming that their victory would start a Mexican takeover of TNA.[17] On the following episode of Impact!, the alliance of Rosita, Sarita and Hernandez was named Mexican America. The three of them were then defeated in a six-person street fight by Love, Winter and Matt Morgan.[18] On March 24, the three were joined by Anarquia.[19] In the following weeks Rosita and Sarita successfully defended the Knockouts Tag Team Championship first against The Beautiful People (Angelina Love and Velvet Sky) and then against Madison Rayne and Tara.[20][21] They made their third successful defense on the June 16 episode of Impact Wrestling, defeating Velvet Sky and Ms. Tessmacher, following outside interference from ODB.[22] Rosita and Sarita lost the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship to Ms. Tessmacher and Tara on July 12 at the tapings of the July 21 episode of Impact Wrestling.[23][24] They received a rematch on August 7 at Hardcore Justice, but were defeated by Tessmacher and Tara.[25] On the March 22, 2012, episode of Impact Wrestling, Rosita and Sarita again failed to recapture the Knockouts Tag Team Championship, when they were defeated by Eric Young and ODB.[26]
On April 19 episode of TNA Impact, Rosita and Sarita teamed up with Madison Rayne and Gail Kim in a losing effort to Brooke Tessmacher, Tara, Velvet Sky and Mickie James.[27] Rosita and Sarita were given another title opportunity on April 15 at Lockdown, but were once again defeated by Eric Young and ODB, this time in a steel cage match.[28] Afterwards, both Rosita and Sarita went inactive from TNA, while Anarquia left the promotion and Hernandez turned face, effectively ending Mexican America.[29][30] After months of inactivity, it was reported on January 9, 2013, that Trinidad's contract with TNA had expired and she had parted ways with the promotion.[31]
Independent circuit (2011–2017)
In late August 2011, Rosita traveled to Mexico to attend an event held by the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion, for which Sarita regularly works under the ring name Dark Angel. During Rosita's stay in Mexico, she was trained by CMLL trainers, Arturo Beristain and Tony Salazar, and was eventually offered a contract with the promotion, which she, however, could not sign due to TNA's working relationship with rival promotion AAA.[32][33] Just days later, Rosita appeared on AAA's television program, Sin Límite, promoting a storyline, where wrestlers from TNA were invading the promotion.[34]
On May 14, 2011, Rosita made her in-ring debut for Family Wrestling Entertainment (FWE) at the Meltdown pay-per-view, losing to fellow knockout Winter with Christy Hemme as the special guest referee.[3][35] Rosita and Winter had three rematches, first on August 20 at Empire City Showdown, the second on November 15 at Fallout and the third on December 17 at Haastility; all were won by Winter.[35] Rosita made her return to the promotion on March 24, 2012, at the Welcome to the Rumble pay-per-view, where she unsuccessfully challenged Maria Kanellis for FWE Women's Championship in a three-way match, after Winter pinned her to become the new champion.[35][36]
On May 6, 2015, Global Force Wrestling (GFW) announced Trinidad as part of their roster.[37] She debuted for the promotion on June 12, 2015, where she defeated Lei'D Tapa at the first show of the GFW Grand Slam Tour in Jackson, Tennessee. On August 20, 2015, her profile was removed from GFW website.
On July 17, 2015, Trinidad made her debut in Ring of Honor (ROH), managing Austin Aries. On September 2, 2016, she joined Shine Wrestling, debuting on Shine 37, which she ended up defeating Stormie Lee. On September 20, 2016, she made her debut in World Wonder Ring Stardom, defeating Kris Wolf.[38]
WWE (2017–2020)
On March 4, 2013, Trinidad took part in a tryout for WWE.[39] She made several brief appearances in the promotion in 2014, including as one of Adam Rose's "rosebuds",[40] and lost a match against NXT Women's Champion Asuka on the October 26, 2016, episode of NXT.[41]
By June 2017, Trinidad had signed a contract with WWE and began training at the WWE Performance Center.[42] She started appearing on NXT with the June 9 episode, where she confronted Andrade "Cien" Almas about his behavior and slapped him.[43] On the July 19 episode of NXT, she accompanied Almas as he attacked Cezar Bononi and retreated from No Way Jose.[44] Under the name Zelina Vega, she was established as the heel manager of Almas, who defeated No Way Jose on August 9 episode of NXT.[45] At NXT TakeOver: WarGames on November 18, Vega accompanied Almas to a match against Drew McIntyre for the NXT Championship, where she interfered by attempting to perform a hurricanrana on McIntyre, failing on the first attempt, but managed to perform a hurricanrana driver on him later in the match before Almas captured the title.[46] On January 27, 2018, at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, during Almas' title defense against Johnny Gargano, Vega interfered and performed a diving hurricanrana on Gargano, resulting in her being attacked by Gargano's wife, Candice LeRae, while Almas eventually won the match.[47] On January 28 at Royal Rumble, Vega made her first main roster appearance as she accompanied Almas in his entrance as number 7 during the Royal Rumble match.[48] On the April 18 episode of NXT, Vega was accompanied by Almas during her first televised match in which she was defeated by Candice LeRae. This turned out to be Vega's and Almas' last appearances in NXT.[49]
On April 17 during the Superstar Shake-up, Vega and Almas were both drafted to the SmackDown brand.[50] Vega made her debut for the brand on May 15, accompanying Almas in a match against a local wrestler.[51] On the July 31 episode of SmackDown, Vega had her first match on the brand, defeating Lana.[52] She and Almas defeated Lana and Rusev at SummerSlam on August 19.[53] At Evolution on October 28, Vega competed in a battle royal for a future women's championship match, but was eliminated by eventual winner Nia Jax.[54] At WrestleMania 35 on April 7, she participated in the Women's Battle Royal but failed to win.[55]
During the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, both Zelina and Andrade were drafted to the Raw brand.[56] On April 22 however, Zelina was moved back to the SmackDown brand.[57] As part of the 2019 Draft in October, Vega and Almas (now renamed Andrade) were drafted to the Raw brand. Vega assisted Andrade most of the times and helped him retain the United States Championship on various occasions. Vega participated in the women's Royal Rumble match at the namesake pay-per-view on January 26 at #25 but was eliminated by Shayna Baszler.[58] With Andrade and new tag team partner Angel Garza arguing and fighting each other constantly, Vega appeared to end her association with her clients on the September 14 edition of Raw, interrupting and confronting Asuka after she defeated Mickie James, initiating a feud.[59] The following week, Vega defeated James to earn a title match against Asuka for the Raw Women's Championship at Clash of Champions on September 27,[60][61] which she lost via submission.[62]
As part of the 2020 Draft in October, Vega was drafted to the SmackDown brand.[63] On November 13, 2020, WWE announced that they had released Trinidad from her contract.[64] That same day, Trinidad had tweeted her support for unionization in professional wrestling.[65] It was later reported that the release was due to Trinidad's opposition to WWE "requiring talents to acquiesce control" of their accounts on third-party platforms.[66]
Queen Zelina (2021–2022)
Nearly eight months after her initial release, Vega returned on the July 2, 2021, episode of SmackDown, where it was announced that she would be competing in the 2021 Women's Money in the Bank ladder match; she made her in-ring return the same night in a loss to Liv Morgan.[67] At the event on July 18, she failed to win the match.[68] On the August 27 episode of SmackDown, she competed in a fatal four-way elimination match to determine the #1 contender for the SmackDown Women's Championship, which was won by Bianca Belair.[69] As part of the 2021 Draft, Vega was drafted to the Raw brand, which took effect on October 22.[70]
Before that, Vega entered the inaugural Queen's Crown tournament, representing SmackDown, where she defeated Toni Storm in the first round[71] and Carmella in the semi-finals.[72] At Crown Jewel on October 21, Vega defeated Raw's Doudrop in the finals to win the tournament and be crowned "Queen"; her first accolade in WWE.[73] On the following episode of Raw, now officially a member of the Raw brand, Vega had a coronation for her victory, where she was adorned with a crown, cape, and scepter, and her ring name was changed to Queen Zelina; she defeated Doudrop in a rematch using her scepter.[74] On the November 8 episode of Raw, she competed in a fatal five-way match to determine the #1 contender to the Raw Women's Championship, which was won by Liv Morgan.[75] She participated in the 5 on 5 Survivor Series elimination match at Survivor Series on November 21, but was eliminated by Toni Storm.[76]
On the following episode of Raw, Queen Zelina and Carmella defeated Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, marking Queen Zelina's first title in WWE.[77] On the January 3. 2022 episode of Raw, they retained the titles against Ripley and A.S.H. in a rematch.[78] At Royal Rumble on January 29, she entered at #7, eliminating Sasha Banks before she was eliminated by Ripley.[79] On the second night of WrestleMania 38 on April 3, Queen Zelina and Carmella lost the titles in a fatal four-way tag team match to Sasha Banks and Naomi, which also involved Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley and Natalya and Shayna Baszler, ending their reign at 131 days.[80] In May, it was reported that she was out of action due to an in-ring injury which required surgery.[81]
Latino World Order (2022–present)
After a seven-month hiatus, Vega returned on the October 7 episode of SmackDown, aligning herself with Legado Del Fantasma and attacking Hit Row.[82] At the Royal Rumble on January 28, 2023, Vega entered the Women's Royal Rumble match at #21. She eliminated Xia Li before being eliminated by Lacey Evans.[83]
On the March 10 episode of Smackdown, Vega joined Legado Del Fantasma in helping Rey Mysterio against The Judgment Day, turning face for the first time in her WWE career.[84] On the March 31 episode of SmackDown, Rey reformed the Latino World Order and invited Legado Del Fantasma to join as a token of appreciation for aiding him in his fight against his son, Dominik Mysterio, and The Judgment Day.[85][86] On the April 21 episode of SmackDown, Vega requested a match against The Judgment Day's Rhea Ripley for the SmackDown Women's Championship at Backlash, which was granted by WWE Official Adam Pearce.[87][88] Vega failed to win the title from Ripley at Backlash but received a standing ovation from the hometown crowd after the match.[89] Vega defeated Lacey Evans to qualify for the 2023 women's Money in the Bank ladder match on the June 2 episode of SmackDown.[90] Vega and her stablemate Escobar failed to win their respective Money in the Bank ladder matches in the namesake event.[91] On the August 25 episode of SmackDown, as Vega previously defeated the WWE Women's Champion Iyo Sky before winning the title, Vega challenged Sky for the championship, however, was unsuccessful.[92]
Other media
Trinidad appeared in the 2012 film Dorothy and the Witches of Oz.[7] She appeared in the documentary Children of 9/11, and on the first and twentieth anniversaries of the September 11 Memorial Ceremony, she participated in the reading of victim names.[7] She portrayed professional wrestler AJ Lee in the sports drama film Fighting with My Family.[93] She has said that Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) inspired her to act in films.[9]
Trinidad appears as a non-playable manager in WWE 2K19[94] and then as a playable character in WWE 2K20 and WWE 2K23.[95]
Trinidad also features in Street Fighter 6 as an in-game commentator.[96] In August 2023, Trinidad alongside Dakota Kai has launched new podcast called "ZELVXandCharlieGirl".[97]
Personal life
In 2018, Trinidad married Dutch professional wrestler Tom Büdgen, also known as Malakai Black (formerly known as Aleister Black in WWE).[98] She resides in Tampa, Florida.[99]
On the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Trinidad spoke about her father who died as a result of the terrorist attack in an out-of-character interview on TNA's No Surrender pay-per-view.[100] She appeared at the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and honoured her father as she read out his name. She was accompanied by another woman, who lost her loved one, Phillip Miller that day.
Championships and accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2011)[101][102]
- Ranked No. 31 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2011[103]
- Sports Illustrated
- Ranked No. 30 in the top 30 female wrestlers in 2018[104]
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- WWE
- WWE Women's Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Carmella[105]
- WWE Queen's Crown (2021)[73]
References
- "Zelina Vega". WWE. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- "WWE Profile - Zelina Vega". August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- "Rosita – FWE". Family Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- "Zelina Vega Cagematch profile". Cagematch. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- Beltrán, William (November 13, 2020). "ÚLTIMA HORA: Zelina Vega es despedida de WWE". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- "WWE reportedly apologized to Zelina Vega before rehiring her". TheSportsRush.com. July 4, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- "Thea Trinidad Biography". TheaTrinidad.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- "Michael A. Trinidad: Staying Friends". New York Times. November 23, 2001. Archived from the original on September 6, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- Scherer, Dave (January 20, 2014). "Rosita of TNA fame talks about the effect The Rock has had on her career". PWInsider. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- StoryCorps (September 5, 2011). "Always a Family". Retrieved July 14, 2017 – via YouTube.
- "TNA star to appear on NBC special about 9/11". WrestleView. August 30, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- "National Wrestling Superstars match listing". Cagematch. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- Martin, Adam (January 12, 2011). "Spoilers: TNA Impact tapings for January 20". WrestleView. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
- Martin, Adam (January 27, 2011). "TNA Wrestling signs a new Knockout". WrestleView. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- Boutwell, Josh (February 11, 2011). "Impact Results – 2/10/11". WrestleView. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
- Caldwell, James (February 17, 2011). "Caldwell's TNA Impact report 2/17: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Impact on Spike TV – Against All Odds fall-out, Flair's TV return, TNA World Title match". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
- Caldwell, James (March 13, 2011). "Caldwell's TNA Victory Road PPV results 3/13: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV – Sting vs. Hardy TNA Title match". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
- Baxendell, Matt (March 17, 2011). "Bax's TNA Impact report 3/17: Alt. perspective review – new TNA Title belt, Fall-out From Hardy's "issues" at Victory Road, Styles injury angle, Overall Grade". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- Boutwell, Josh (March 25, 2011). "Impact Results – 3/24/11". WrestleView. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- Baxendell, Matt (April 8, 2011). "Bax's TNA Impact report 4/7: Sting vs. RVD main event, tag teams split, Jarrett climbs the cage with ease, Overall Show Grade". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- Caldwell, James (April 21, 2011). "Caldwell's TNA Impact report 4/21: Complete coverage of TNA Title match, Tag Title match, Knockouts Tag Title match, Jarrett-Angle continues". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- Keller, Wade (June 16, 2011). "Keller's TNA Impact report 6/16: Ongoing coverage of Slammiversary fallout on Spike TV". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
- Meltzer, Dave (July 12, 2011). "TNA notes from tonight in Orlando". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
- Keller, Wade (July 21, 2011). "Keller's TNA Impact Wrestling report 7/21: Ongoing "virtual time" report on Sting title win fallout". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
- Caldwell, James (August 7, 2011). "Caldwell's TNA Hardcore Justice PPV results 8/7: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV – Sting vs. Angle, five title matches, BFG Series matches". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- Turner, Scott (March 23, 2012). "Turner's TNA Impact Wrestling results 3/22: Victory Road fall-out, Dixie & Sting & Hogan close the show, three title matches". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- Caldwell, James (April 19, 2012). "Caldwell's TNA Impact Wrestling results 4/19: Ongoing "virtual-time" coverage of Lockdown fall-out, Hogan's "big announcement"". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- Caldwell, James (April 15, 2012). "Caldwell's TNA Lockdown PPV results 4/15: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV – Roode-Storm main event, Angle-Hardy, Lethal Lockdown opener". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- Caldwell, James (May 1, 2012). "Former tag champion cut from TNA". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- Caldwell, James (June 10, 2012). "Caldwell's TNA Slammiversary PPV results 6/10: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV – Roode vs. Sting headlines 10th Anniv. PPV". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- Johnson, Mike (January 9, 2013). "Another TNA departure confirmed". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- Zellner, Kris (September 12, 2011). "Lucha Report For 9/12/11" (in Spanish). Super Luchas Magazine. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- Ruiz Glez, Alex (August 31, 2011). "Imagen: Rosita y Sarita en la coliseo de Guadalajara" (in Spanish). Super Luchas Magazine. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- "Rosita, de Mexican America, amenaza a AAA". Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (in Spanish). September 4, 2011. Archived from the original on October 28, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- "Show History". Family Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- "FWE Women's Championship". Family Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- Johnson, Mike (May 6, 2015). "Live notes from GFW press conference". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- Kevin (December 4, 2016). "Stardom Goddesses of Stars on 11/20/16 Review". Joshi City. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- Namako, Jason (March 4, 2013). "Former TNA Knockout has a tryout before Raw". WrestleView. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
- Erin (June 23, 2014). "Former Knockout Appears as Rosebud". Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- Richard, Trionfo (October 26, 2016). "WWE NXT Report: Dusty Classic Continues, Asuka Has Her Takeover Opponent Revealed, Some Post Match Aggression From The Wrestlers. And More". PWInsider. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- Satin, Ryan (June 5, 2017). "Ex-TNA Wrestler Thea Trinidad Signs WWE Contract". Pro Wrestling Sheet. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- Kahrs, Alex (June 8, 2017). "WWE NXT Results – 6/7/17 (No Way Jose vs. Killian Dain headlines)". Wrestleview. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- Richard, Trionfo (July 19, 2017). "WWE NXT Report: Dain Versus Mcintyre To Determine Number One Contender, Burch Versus Lorcan, Almas Goes Tranquilo, Riot Versus Moon, And More". PWInsider. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
- Richard, Trionfo (August 9, 2017). "WWE NXT Report: Lorcan Versus Burch, Champion And Challenger Talk About Takeover, Strong Versus Mcintyre Next Week, Gargano Wants A Match And Almas Wants An Opponent, And More". PWInsider. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
- Richard, Trionfo (November 18, 2017). "WWE NXT TakeOver War Games report". PWInsider. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- Richard, Trionfo (January 27, 2018). "Complete WWE NXT TakeOver Philadelphia report: Extreme Rules, Gargano versus Almas, Moon versus Baszler, new faces, some returning NXT stars, and Samoa Joe saves de kickoff show". PWInsider. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
- Cory, Strode (January 28, 2018). "Full Royal Rumble Coverage". PWInsider. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
- Richard, Trionfo (April 18, 2018). "WWE NXT report: A lot of NXT in ring debuts, a no DQ match, and more". PWInsider. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- Gartland, Dan (April 17, 2018). "WWE Roster Changes: Superstar Shakeup Results for Raw, SmackDown". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- Stuart, Carapola (May 15, 2018). "Complete WWE Smackdown Coverage: Daniel Bryan Sends Big Cass A Message He Won't Forget, Andrade "Cien" Almas Makes His In-ring Debut, Carmella Finds Out Who Her Challenger At MITB Will Be And She Doesn't Like It, AJ And Nakamura Do Battle To Determine Who Picks The Stipulation For Their Title Match At MITB, And More". PWInsider. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- Barnett, Jake (July 31, 2018). "7/31 Barnett's WWE Smackdown Live TV Review: Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton, The Usos vs. Sheamus and Cesaro in a No. 1 contenders tag tournament match, Zelina Vega vs. Lana, the SummerSlam build continues". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- Powell, Jason (August 19, 2018). "Powell's WWE SummerSlam 2018 Kickoff Show coverage: B-Team vs. The Revival for the Raw Tag Titles, Rusev and Lana vs. Andrade Almas and Zelina Vega, Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak for the WWE Cruiserweight Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (October 28, 2018). "Powell's WWE Evolution live review: Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella for the Raw Women's Championship, Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match for the Smackdown Women's Championship, Mae Young Classic Finals". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- Powell, Jason (April 7, 2019). "WrestleMania 35 Kickoff Show results: Powell's live review of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, WWE Women's Battle Royal, Buddy Murphy vs. Tony Nese for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- Powell, Jason (April 15, 2019). "4/15 Powell's WWE Raw TV Review: The 2019 WWE Superstar Shakeup Night One". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Davis, Brad (April 22, 2019). "Aleister Black, Andrade & Zelina Vega Moved To SmackDown Roster". Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- Powell, Jason (January 26, 2020). "WWE Royal Rumble results: Powell's live review of the Royal Rumble matches, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan in a strap match for the WWE Universal Championship, Becky Lynch vs. Asuka for the Raw Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (September 14, 2020). "9/14 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee in a non-title match, Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio in a cage match, Asuka vs. Mickie James for the Raw Women's Championship, The Street Profits vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro in a champions vs. champions match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (September 21, 2020). "9/21 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee in a non-title match, Seth Rollins and Murphy vs. Angel Garza and Andrade vs. Dominik Mysterio and Humberto Carrillo for a shot at the Raw Tag Titles, Braun Strowman vs. Dabba Kato at Raw Underground, final hype for Clash of Champions". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- "Asuka vs. Zelina Vega – Raw Women's Championship Match". WWE. September 21, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (September 27, 2020). "WWE Clash of Champions results: Powell's review of Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton in an Ambulance Match for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso for the WWE Universal Championship, Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn in a Triple Threat ladder match for the Intercontinental Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- WWE.com Staff (October 9, 2020). "See all the results from the 2020 Draft". WWE. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- "Zelina Vega released". WWE. November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- Chase, Stephanie (November 13, 2020). "Zelina Vega publicly backs unionisation after WWE release". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- Johnson, Mike (November 13, 2020). "What Led To Today's Surprising WWE Release". PWInsider. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (July 2, 2021). "7/2 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Edge addressing Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn in a Last Man Standing match to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (July 18, 2021). "WWE Money in the Bank results: Powell's review of the MITB ladder matches, Roman Reigns vs. Edge for the WWE Universal Championship, Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship, Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (August 27, 2021). "8/27 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Becky Lynch returns as the new Smackdown Women's Champion, Roman Reigns holds a championship celebration, King Nakamura and Rick Boogs vs. Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- "See all the results from the 2021 Draft". Wwe.
- Powell, Jason (October 8, 2021). "10/08 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn in a King of the Ring tournament match, Liv Morgan vs. Carmella in a Queens Crown tournament match, contract signing for Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks at WWE Crown Jewel". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
- Powell, Jason (October 15, 2021). "10/15 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the supersized edition with Brock Lesnar, Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks in a non-title match, Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn in a KOTR semifinal match, Carmella vs. Zelina Vega in a Queen's Crown semifinal match, Sonya Deville vs. Naomi". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (October 21, 2021). "WWE Crown Jewel results: Powell's live review of Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship, Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair for the Smackdown Women's Championship, Big E vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, Edge vs. Seth Rollins in a Hell in a Cell match, Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley in a No Holds Barred match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
- Powell, Jason (October 25, 2021). "10/25 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the "season premiere" with the new post draft roster, fallout from WWE Crown Jewel". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- Powell, Jason (November 8, 2021). "11/8 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan vs. Carmella vs. Queen Zelina for a shot at the Raw Women's Championship, WWE Champion Big E vs. Chad Gable in a non-title match, the build to Survivor Series". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (November 22, 2021). "WWE Survivor Series results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns vs. Big E, Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair, RKBro vs. The Usos, and Damian Priest vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in champion vs. champion matches, Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown in Survivor Series elimination matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (November 22, 2021). "11/22 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the Vince McMahon Cleopatra Egg whodunnit, Bobby Lahsley vs. Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio in a handicap match, Rhea Ripley and Nikki ASH vs. Queen Zelina and Carmella for the WWE Women's Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
- Powell, Jason (January 3, 2022). "1/3 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of Brock Lesnar's first appearance as the new WWE Champion, Big E vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins in a four-way for a shot at the WWE Championship, Damian Priest vs. Dolph Ziggler for the U.S. Title, AJ Styles vs. Omos". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (January 29, 2022). "WWE Royal Rumble results: Powell's live review of the Royal Rumble matches, Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship, Becky Lynch vs Doudrop for the Raw Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (April 3, 2022). "WrestleMania 38 results: Powell's live review of night two with Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the Unified WWE Championship, RK-Bro vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy for the Raw Tag Titles, Edge vs. AJ Styles, Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn in an Anything Goes match, Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory, Bobby Lashley vs. Omos". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Johnson, Mike (May 27, 2022). "WHY QUEEN ZELINA DISAPPEARED FROM WWE TELEVISION". PWInsider. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (October 7, 2022). "10/07 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the season premiere, Gunther vs. Sheamus for the Intercontinental Championship, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Logan Paul meet face to face, Solo Sikoa vs. Ricochet". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Keller, Wade (January 28, 2023). "1/28 WWE ROYAL RUMBLE PLE RESULTS: Keller's detailed report and analysis including Reigns vs. Owens, Pitch Black match, Belair vs. Bliss". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- Nath, Rohit (March 11, 2023). "32-year-old returning star turns face for the first time in 6 years after confronting The Judgment Day on SmackDown". Sportskeeda.
- Rey Mysterio forms the new LWO with Legado del Fantasma: SmackDown, March 31, 2023, retrieved April 1, 2023
- Barnett, Jake (March 31, 2023). "3/31 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of the final Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes confrontation before WrestleMania 39, the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci, Raquel Rodriguez vs. Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Sonya Deville in a four-way". Pro Wrestling Dot Net.
- "Rhea Ripley will defend her SmackDown Women's Title against Zelina Vega in Puerto Rico". WWE. April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- Barnett, Jake (April 21, 2023). "4/21 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of Gunther vs. Xavier Woods for the Intercontinental Title, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green for the WWE Women's Tag Titles, The Viking Raiders vs. Braun Strowman and Ricochet, Matt Riddle vs. Solo Sikoa in a No DQ match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- Powell, Jason (May 6, 2023). "WWE Backlash results: Powell's live review of Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes, Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest in a Street Fight, Rhea Ripley vs. Zelina Vega for the Smackdown Women's Title, Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky for the Raw Women's Title, Austin Theory vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed in a Triple Threat for the U.S. Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- Powell, Jason (June 2, 2023). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (6/2): Barnett's review of Roman Reigns' celebration of 1,000 days as WWE Universal Champion, LA Knight vs. Montez Ford and Zelina Vega vs. Lacey Evans in Money in the Bank qualifying matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- "The Usos triumph over Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa at WWE Money in the Bank g". WWE. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- Barnett, Jake (August 25, 2023). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (8/25): Barnett's review of the Bray Wyatt and Terry Funk tributes, Iyo Sky vs. Zelina Vega for the WWE Women's Championship, U.S. Champ Rey Mysterio vs. Grayson Waller". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
- Goldman, Eric (February 21, 2017). "The Rock evokes CM Punk and AJ Lee in a big way for crowd at WWE show". IGN. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- Cole, Caitlin (December 19, 2018). "Complete WWE 2K19 Roster". Rumble Ramble. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- Elfring, Matt (August 7, 2019). "WWE 2K20: All The Playable Wrestlers On The Roster". GameSpot. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- Romano, Sal (January 29, 2023). "Street Fighter 6 Real-Time Commentary Feature adds Thea Trinidad". Gematsu. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- THOMAS, JEREMY (August 18, 2023). "WWE News: Dakota Kai & Zelina Vega Launching New Podcast, Beth Phoenix On Edge's 25 Year Celebration". 411MANIA. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- Satin, Ryan (November 30, 2018). "Aleister Black And Zelina Vega Recently Got Married". Pro Wrestling Sheet. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- Peltz, Jennifer (September 9, 2016). "Now adults, children of 9/11 draw inspiration from tragedy". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- Caldwell, James (September 11, 2011). "Caldwell's TNA No Surrender PPV results 9/11: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV – three-way TNA Title match, BFG Series finals". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
- Gerweck, Steve (December 29, 2011). "Rosita wins PWI Inspirational Wrestler award". WrestleView. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- "PWI Awards". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Kappa Publishing Group. Archived from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) Female 50 for 2011". Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- Barrasso, Justin (December 28, 2018). "Counting down the top 10 women's wrestlers of 2018". SI.com. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
- "WWE Women's Tag Team Championship". World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
External links
- Official website
- Thea Trinidad's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database
- Thea Trinidad at IMDb
- Zelina Vega on WWE.com