Zelina Vega's Post-WWE Ring Name Potentially Revealed

Zelina Vega's WWE non-compete clause is due to expire this week and the potential ring name for the former WWE wrestler has been revealed.

Vega - real name Thea Trinidad - filed to trademark 'Xelina' with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on July 20. The filing was for the purposes of pro wrestling, including "wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer." Should this be her new name, it would mark only a small change from the 35-year-old's WWE moniker.

Zelina Vega and her husband Aleister Black were two of around 30 wrestlers released by WWE following WrestleMania 42, a list which also included the likes of The New Day, Jeff Cobb, The Motor City Machine Guns, and Wyatt Sicks. Several wrestlers were also given ultimatums to accept pay cuts or be released, with many of them taking pay reductions.

The release ended Zelina Vega's second run with WWE. During her first stint under contract from 2017 until November 2020, she primarily served as a manager to Andrade El Idolo across NXT and then the WWE main roster. Vega was released for defying a company edict banning WWE talents from using third-party platforms to supplement their income after she set up an OnlyFans account.

Zelina Vega returned to WWE just seven months after her release, though, and she was featured as a wrestler during her second run, becoming a one-time WWE Women's United States Champion and one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Carmella. Vega also won the 2021 Queen's Crown Tournament.