Zelina Vega may be moving forward after WWE, but mentally, she says leaving the company has been much harder than simply closing one chapter and starting another.
While speaking to Ring the Belle, Vega opened up about the emotional meaning behind the cinematic video she released following her WWE departure. The video looked back at the different versions of her character over the years before showing her finally closing the door on that part of her life. For Vega, that wasn’t just creative symbolism. She said the process of leaving WWE has followed her into her sleep.
“I’ll be honest, I’ve had nightmares about leaving WWE every single night. Like it’s, it’s trash. Like it is.”
Vega explained that people can look at a WWE departure like it’s simply the end of a job, but that wasn’t how she experienced it. She spent nearly a decade with the company, and wrestling there became connected to much deeper parts of her life.
“But I think that’s the other thing that people don’t understand that there’s such a mental, mental health part of it because it’s not just, ‘Oh, you’re leaving WWE.’ It’s like my life was tied to that.”
That connection also involved her late father and the wrestling dream she carried with her from childhood. Vega said those memories became intertwined with her time in WWE, making the idea of walking away much more complicated than simply clearing out a locker room.
“I was there for almost 10 years. Like my, my, my dad and his memory and the wrestling thing there was all tied to there. So it’s, it was very difficult to, to go and, and obviously everything that happened.”
That is part of why Vega put so much meaning into the video that introduced the next phase of her career. Ringside News previously covered Vega unveiling her new Xelina identity in the cinematic vignette, which took viewers through different stages of her wrestling life before she stepped into something new.
Vega explained to Ring the Belle that she wanted to actually confront those different versions of herself instead of pretending they no longer mattered. That meant looking back at everything she built in WWE, accepting what it meant to her and then allowing herself to finally move forward.
“I wanted to go and see it, feel good about what we did there, and then close the door on it and be ready for the next thing.”
She also explained that wrestling wasn’t just something she happened to succeed at. It was a childhood dream tied to experiences she had been carrying for years, including periods of depression and denial.
“For me, it was like this is so deeply rooted in my life. I needed them to see like this is what I saw as a kid. This is what I had to process as a kid. I had to go through the depression, the, the denial, and finally put it into a positive space.”
Vega said she ultimately connected that dream not only to herself, but to her father as well.
“I tied it to a dream and not just mine, but my dad’s and, you know, kind of went full force with it.”
Her departure came during WWE’s post-WrestleMania roster cuts, and Ringside News previously covered Vega immediately opening herself up for outside wrestling bookings after her release. She later began moving forward under the Xelina name and booked her first post-WWE wrestling appearances.
Vega has also had to deal with misinformation surrounding her exit. Ringside News previously covered her shutting down a fake AI-generated video that falsely portrayed her discussing the release, making her comments to Ring the Belle especially notable because they came directly from her.
Leaving WWE may have opened the door for Zelina Vega to control more of her future, but that doesn’t mean shutting the old one has been easy. After nearly 10 years of tying WWE to her career, her childhood and memories of her father, Vega is now trying to carry the good parts with her without letting the end of that run define what comes next.
What do you think about Zelina Vega admitting she’s had nightmares every night about leaving WWE? Do you think starting her Xelina chapter will help her finally find closure? Let us know what you think in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
