Vega continues to look back fondly on the match.
Zelina Vega hit a milestone in her career when she won her first singles championship. On the April 25th edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Vega bested Chelsea Green to become the second WWE Women's United States Champion.
Vega spoke about that and more when she was interviewed on HOT 97. She looked back at another highlight moment in her career which was Backlash 2023 in Puerto Rico.
She challenged Rhea Ripley for the SmackDown Women's Championship. Vega stated that she remembers hearing the original plan was for the match to be 'super quick' and she was going to be putting over Ripley's strength. Several months after the PLE, Fightful Select reported that it was supposed to be a quick match, but that changed due to Vega becoming more popular with the audience and putting on strong performances.
"It (WWE Backlash 2023 versus Rhea Ripley) honestly is one of the most amazing feelings. Not just in my career but in my life, and I didn’t even know that it was gonna be that. That’s another thing. It wasn’t supposed to go like that at all so that’s also why I think it was, like, one of those things that were meant to be. I remember hearing, okay, the match was gonna be super quick. Whatever. ‘You’re just there to, you know, put over her strength’ and whatever…
But she’s also just my weirdo neighbor but anyways… Literally, she moved next door to me so, yeah, we do cosplays randomly together. To be honest though, I’m really glad, if anybody, it was her. Because that moment couldn’t have been more perfect to share with someone that I’m so, so close with so…"
Ripley and Vega's match at Backlash went just over seven minutes before Ripley put her away to retain the championship.
Vega is scheduled to be in action on the 5/23 SmackDown. She'll be a Triple Threat Money in the Bank Ladder match qualifier with Charlotte Flair and the newest member of the SmackDown roster, Giulia.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit HOT 97 with an H/T to Fightful for the transcriptions.
