Zelina Vega Released from Contract by WWE

WWE announced Friday it released Zelina Vega. 

The reason for her departure is unclear, though some on social media noted it came shortly after she expressed public support for unionization:

She had also responded to a tweet from former colleague Paige, who said in October she “learned a lot about unionism today.”

Paige’s comment came as WWE started prohibiting its in-ring talent from running their own accounts through third-party sites such as YouTube and Twitch. Some stars have built large followings for themselves independent from what they’ve done on WWE programming.

Vega appeared to try a workaround by setting up an account on OnlyFans.

For critics of WWE, the company’s crackdown about third-party sites was another example of how it exerts significant influence over its performers despite those performers being independent contractors. HBO’s John Oliver made it a topic of discussion on Last Week Tonight in 2019.

Even assuming it played no role in WWE letting Vega go, her release will likely fuel what has been a longstanding debate.

The 29-year-old initially had a limited on-screen role, serving as Andrade’s manager in NXT and continued to do so following his move to the main roster.

More recently, she branched off into a singles career of her own. Vega unsuccessfully challenged Asuka for the Raw Women’s Championship at Clash of Champions in September.