You can’t mention Andrade “Cien” Almas without also mentioning his indispensable manager extraordinaire, Zelina Vega.
Here are five fast facts and cosplays you should know about the business manager of El Idolo, Zelina Vega.
5. She Was Trained By T.J. Perkins
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Zelina Vega, real name Thea Trinidad, started training in the ring at the age of 17 under the guidance of Javi-Air, Azrieal, and T.J. Perkins. Yes, the very same TJP who won the WWE Cruiserweight Classic and wrestles on 205 Live. Even crazier, TJP is only six years older than Vega, meaning he began training her when he was just 23.
Vega made her professional wrestling debut under the ring name Divina Fly for National Wrestling Superstars (NWS) on February 20, 2010 in a losing effort against Brittney Savage. She would continue to work for numerous promotions on the independent circuit until 2016, and competed in TNA from 2011 to 2013.
4. She Likes To Cosplay
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If you take a look at Vega’s Instagram account, you’ll see lots of pictures of her dressed up in various cosplay outfits, including Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Jade (pictured above), and Akasha. But her favorite character to cosplay seems to be Harley Quinn, whom she often competed as on the independent circuit.
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3. She Lost Her Dad In The 9/11 Attacks
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Vega was born and grew up in Queens, New York City, and was introduced to pro wrestling at a young age by her father, Michael. But tragically, Vega lost her father in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City when she was just 10 years old.
Michael Trinidad worked as a telecom analyst for financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald at the World Trade Center. He was on the 103rd floor of the North Tower when it collapsed. Afterward, Vega’s mother, Monique Ferrer, shared their family’s story with StoryCorps, which StoryCorps turned into a short cartoon called, “Always A Family.”
Vega credits the memory of her father as the reason that she decided to become a pro wrestler. She’s also worked with other children who lost their parents in the 9/11 attacks and participates in charitable causes like Habitat for Humanity.
2. She Portrays A.J. Lee In Fighting With My Family
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You might remember hearing reports that The Rock filmed a match for his upcoming movie, Fighting With My Family, after an episode of Monday Night Raw in 2017. The match was a dramatic reenactment of Paige’s main roster debut, in which she won the Divas Championship from A.J. Lee. But instead of using Paige and Lee to recreate their match (which honestly would have been weird), The Rock recruited Tessa Blanchard to wrestle as Paige and Vega to wrestle as Lee.
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As I’m sure anyone who watched the Raw after WrestleMania knows, Fighting With My Family hits theaters September 14.
1. She’s A Former TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion
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While Vega has primarily worked as a manager for NXT/WWE, she can say something that most of WWE’s women superstars can’t: she’s a former women’s tag team champion.
After being discovered by Tommy Dreamer, Vega began wrestling for TNA in January 2011 under the ring name Rosita. Less than two months later at Victory Road, Rosita and Sarita defeated Angelina Love and Winter to become the Knockouts Tag Team Champions. They held the titles for 130 days before losing them to Brooke Tessmacher and Tara.
Bonus fact: Sarita, real name Sarah Stock, has been employed as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center since 2015. When WWE signed Andrade “Cien” Almas that same year, Stock helped him learn English. In June 2017, Vega signed a WWE contract and began working as Almas’s manager. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have friends in the right places.
Are you a fan of Zelina Vega? What do you hope to see from her on SmackDown? Do you want her to wrestle more? Share your comments below!