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Zelina Vega won the Women's United States Championship on the episode of SmackDown after WrestleMania 41, the same episode that her husband, Aleister Black, returned to WWE. Vega responded to claims that she only won the US Title because of her partner's return.
Zelina Vega is on cloud number nine right now after having the most incredible moment of her 15-year-long wrestling career. She won her first singles championship in WWE after dethroning the highly acclaimed Chelsea Green. That same night, Aleister Black made his return to WWE after nearly four years away and targeted The Miz.
Speaking to Peter Rosenberg on Hot 97, Zelina Vega dismissed the claims that she only won the US Title because of her husband's return:
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"It’s like the fact that, mind you, this was not planned, which I laugh about when I see a lot of the fans are like, ‘Oh my God, the only reason that she got this title is because her husband was coming back.’ I’m like, ‘Don’t you think they would have made it the world title?’" (H/T - RSN)
Vega did, however, admit that it was surreal to be able to have two such big moments so close together on SmackDown.
Check out the full video below:
Zelina Vega and Aleister Black both had incredible individual journeys to reach where they are today.
Not many know this, but the duo of Zelina Vega and Aleister Black have a combined 38 years of experience in the wrestling industry. The journey they took to where they are now is a hard one.
For Aleister Black, it took a whopping 14 years to reach WWE, while Vega took half that time, at seven years. Even then, she began as a manager and had one match in NXT before joining the main roster.
Aleister Black tasted success quite early, but both he and his wife were released during the pandemic, less than a year apart. While Vega was quick to return in 2021, Black would spend a few years in AEW before finally calling it quits and returning to WWE post-WrestleMania 41.
Vega has had a lot more success in her second run, becoming the first-ever Queen of the Ring winner in WWE history, and she's now the second-ever Women's United States Champion.
The success that both Black and Vega are experiencing today is only because of the decades of combined hard work they put into the wrestling business. It just goes to show how ruthless the industry can truly be, as both have experienced their fair share of adversities in WWE.
