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Ahead of tonight's Wrestlemania 39, PWInsider.com spoke with Zelina Vega at WWE Media Day.
Mike Johnson: How are you?
Zelina Vega: I'm great. How are you doing?
Mike Johnson: New York in the house.
Zelina Vega: I know that's right.
Mike Johnson: You've had an interesting couple of years with WWE.
Zelina Vega: Oh my God.
Mike Johnson: Still technically the reigning queen.
Zelina Vega: I know that's right. One more time for the kids in the back.
Mike Johnson: So, this year Legado Del Fantasma has had a bit of a different role than they had in NXT. They've been more on the babyface side of things, and you've been alongside Rey Mysterio. Obviously he's going on the WWE Hall of Fame this year. An incredibly inspirational talent. Thoughts on being able to work alongside him? Because I'm sure it wasn't on your bingo card for 2023 at some point.
Zelina Vega: No. To be honest, I didn't know 2023 was going to go the way it was. I mean, from the Street Fighter stuff to going to Japan for Crunchyroll Anime Awards, there's just so many things I wasn't expecting this year. Definitely one of the biggest things is saying that I'm going to be alongside my childhood hero at WrestleMania. Crazy. Crazy, crazy. Mind-blowing. Especially because I have this picture of him and I when I was like 15 years old, this little kid geeking out over Rey Mysterio, and now to be alongside him is just crazy. I've actually never been on the babyface side in my career ever. It's cool to say you're experiencing that other side, because the other thing is: As a heel, I didn't really get to break out any of the Rey Mysterio-esque style moves that I've been wanting to do for a long time. But two weeks ago, we saw it with Rhea.
Mike Johnson: The big moonsault off the ring to the floor at SmackDown.
Zelina Vega: There was that. I wanted to implement a few little things for Rey. Hitting the second rope like he does, I wanted to make sure that I was adding Rey into a lot of what we're doing. Especially with Judgment Day. Especially.
Mike Johnson: You just mentioned going to Japan. One of the things that has proliferated pro wrestling is the crossover of different genres.
Zelina Vega: Yeah.
Mike Johnson: When it comes to anime, you're kind of at the forefront of that.
Zelina Vega: I know it.
Mike Johnson: What has it been like bringing in voiceovers to your ring entrances and going over and doing the Crunchyroll Awards in Japan, and trying to assimilate these two worlds that you're passionate about?
Zelina Vega: It's a dream come true, honestly. It's so cool, because, I mean, we all know that 2020 was a little difficult for your girl. But I think now it's getting everybody on the same page and seeing that this is a love that's just bringing all the worlds together, and I love that. I get to talk to other fans who are like, "Oh my God, I loved your cosplay of Juri in the Royal Rumble." And like, "Oh my God, having Madara Uchiha as someone who's introducing you in your music, the 'All Hail the Queen.'" I mean, people even see that in other people's music now because it was that iconic. But that moment will always be solidified for me and me only as the first ever Queen of the Ring, but it's cool that I can inspire people to want that. I can inspire people to want to become a WWE superstar, want to add anime into whatever they're doing, whether it's cosplaying now in the Rumble 2. There's just so many things that people have thanked me for as far as like, "Wow, you're blending the worlds. That's so cool. I used to get made fun of for this in high school," or whatever. It's an honor, man. I'm so, so happy.
Mike Johnson: So I know it was WrestleMania 39, but WWE Backlash going to Puerto Rico. Thoughts on big show coming to San Juan?
Zelina Vega: Oh my God. I'm speechless about it because I want that match so bad. And I've said this before, I'm like, "Man, just give me..." And I say Rhea because I think she's probably my perfect opposite as far as in-ring goes. Rhea and Oscar are probably my two favorite opponents. But I say: You give her and I time, and we will tear the house down. There won't be anything like it, especially in Puerto Rico. When I have the support of my family, my home, my people, that is just the top of the top. So I would be honored, oh my God, honored to be able to have that match in Puerto Rico.
Mike Johnson: So what is it like now playing the current role as the head of Legado Del Fantasma and advising them compared to the days of yourself and Andrade or other roles that you've had? How different is it for you to approach it, given the parameters of what you got to do to get a crowd reaction is now the exact opposite of what you used to have to do?
Zelina Vega: Yes. Yes. Oh my God. So, it's funny, because I just talked about this. I am probably the only person in WWE that wears every single hat that could be worn here in WWE. Whether that is a commentator, whether that is a manager, a wrestler, a backstage interviewer, or whatever it is, I've literally done it all. And when you talk about me and Andrade, it was a different relationship. It was a different vibe. There was a lot of it that, with him, was very different. I had to carry myself as such. With Legado, it's a team effort. And it's not just one single person that I'm backing. It's also them backing me. Because I'm not a manager managing wrestlers. We're a group of wrestlers trying to get ahead as a team, because we have the tag titles in our midst that we see. We also have the Women's Championship in mind. There's so many things that I'm pushing from all angles. You just have to approach it differently. And now, as a babyface team, it's crazy to now get that support of the audience. When we had it that night in that mixed match with Rhea and Dominic, I was like, "Wow, this is what it's like, huh? It's crazy."
Mike Johnson: It's how the other half lives.
Zelina Vega: I know, right? Yeah.
Mike Johnson: So I know you got to go in a minute, but let me ask you this. You've had a bunch of up and down years for the company. I feel like this year things are finally on the upwards side. We come back a year from now, we're in Philadelphia, just a few hours from where you originally grew up. Where would you like to see Legado Del Fantasma and yourself when we hit WrestleMania 40 in Philly?
Zelina Vega: Oh, man. My dream scenario would be to have Joaquin and Cruz as the tag team champions, Santos as "the" champion, and me as the women's champion, whether that's for Raw or SmackDown; but to see our whole team draped in gold? That's the dream. That's the vision right there.
Mike Johnson: There you go. Might even be better than the Queen's Crown.
Zelina Vega: Well, we'll see. I mean, there's a lot of people who... Whether they they're gunning for the Queen's Crown or they're gunning for the actual title, whatever it is: I'm the OG, I'm the original, and it doesn't get any better than that. Hate it or love it.
Mike Johnson: There you go. Zelina Vega forever in the WWE time capsule. Thank you for your time. I look forward to seeing you down the line, and continued success to you and the family.
Zelina Vega: Thank you so much.
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