WWE brought Backlash to Puerto Rico, and fans in San Juan were in for a night jam-packed with pro wrestling. The Puerto Rican fans saw a few representatives on the card, including Bad Bunny, Damian Priest, and Zelina Vega. It seems that they almost got a lot less out of Vega’s time on the card.
Zelina Vega faced Rhea Ripley for her title at Backlash, but she did not win the match. Few fans really thought that Vega would win, and some were expecting a squash match. It turns out that this was actually the plan at one point in time as well.
WWE has really given Zelina Vega a spotlight since the LWO started. She has been featured in two significant matches of late, at Money in the Bank and Backlash, however, that might not have been in the cards originally.
Sean Sapp noted behind Fightful’s paywall that WWE originally planned for Rhea Ripley to beat Zelina Vega in a squash match. They changed plans around, and everything seemed to work out.
Fightful Select has learned that an original plan for Zelina’s world title match in Puerto Rico was for Rhea Ripley to squash her, despite the geographical location and Zelina’s connection. However, a change was made, and Zelina ended up having a very well received match and getting a special reaction from the audience in Puerto Rico. We also heard that Rhea Ripley was happy to accommodate the booking change.
The report went on to note that, “much of the push that followed was a result of Zelina’s performance and the reception she got from the crowd. WWE sources close to the situation indicated the change ended up being a very good one for all involved, as it helped WWE, Zelina, and it gave Ripley a memorable title defense.”
We will have to see what’s in Zelina Vega’s future. There was once a time when she was on the roster, but never used. That is certainly not the case at all, and her association with the LWO is getting her even more screentime.
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