Twitch / Zelina Vega
WWE star Zelinga Vega announced yesterday on Twitter that she’s in support of professional wrestlers starting a union.
Ten minutes after the announcement, the company announced her release.
https://twitter.com/Zelina_VegaWWE/status/1327382306491928576
Vega’s issue with the company has been brewing for a while and stems from the WWE forbidding talent from using third-party platforms, specifically Twitch.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider spoke to multiple WWE sources and is reporting that Zelina Vega was informed of her release Friday afternoon, possibly before her Twitter announcement.
According to Johnson, “Sources indicate Vega was extremely vocal about maintaining her Twitch account, and some talent within WWE believe she may have been used to “send a message” to others in the company who plan on defying the company’s stance on third party endeavors.”
In late October, Vince McMahon met with various talent – including AJ Styles and Xavier Woods – who tried to change his mind on the company’s stance on the matter. All talks were unsuccessful.
Vega and her husband, WWE star Aleister Black, are both popular on Twitch. Even after WWE put the hammer down about 3rd party accounts, Vega started an OnlyFans page dedicated to her cosplay outfits.
Vega addressed the situation on her Instagram and Twitter accounts.
https://twitter.com/Zelina_VegaWWE/status/1327427296807022592
The news of Vega’s release got back to former presidential candidate, Andrew Yang. Yang has been vocal in recent months about the WWE’s treatment of talent.
I haven’t forgotten about Vince McMahon. https://t.co/m2BGJMhqXv
— Andrew Yang🧢⬆️🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) November 14, 2020
Vega is sure to find work in wrestling once her 90-day non-compete clause ends in mid-February though there’s a chance she could pursue a career in acting. She told Lilian Garcia on a recent episode of “Chasing Glory,” that she nearly quit wrestling before finally signing with WWE. Vega concentrated on acting prior to landing
As for her husband, Black, he’s still with the company and recently requested to be switched back to the NXT brand. NXT talent is still allowed to maintain Twitch and Cameo accounts. Black was denied his request.
UPDATED: The Screen Actors Guild of America has come out in support of Vega.
Hey @Zelina_VegaWWE Thanks for standing strong for labor solidarity. I support you. Please email me PresidentCarteris@sagaftra.org https://t.co/tYEiiFhB9S
— Gabrielle Carteris (@TheGabrielle_C) November 14, 2020
[via PWInsider]
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