WWE superstar Zelina Vega abruptly dropped out of the quarterfinals of the Speed Women's #1 Contenders Tournament last night due to injury, confirmed by Corey Graves.
Vega was originally scheduled to face Natalya in the quarterfinals, but B-Fab was announced as a last-minute replacement to face her instead instead. Commentary over the match confirmed that Vega had sustained some injury that didn't allow her to compete, though there were no other details.
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Vega began her professional wrestling career in 2010 under the ring name Divina Fly for National Wrestling Superstars. The next year, she signed with TNA, where she wrestled as Rosita and won the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship with Sarita.
Vega joined WWE in 2017, making her debut as the manager of Andrade "Cien" Almas in NXT, where she played a key role in his NXT Championship victory. She was promoted to the main roster in 2018, continuing her role with Andrade on SmackDown.
Over the years, Vega also managed other WWE Superstars, including Aleister Black and Austin Theory, and worked briefly with the Lucha House Party and The Hurt Business in 2020.
In 2021, she made history by winning the inaugural WWE Queen's Crown Tournament and also secured the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Carmella.
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The replacement Speed match saw B-Fab and Natalya exchange blows in a fast-paced contest. B-Fab gained the advantage with a pump kick, but Natalya responded swiftly, scoring a near-fall with a pin attempt.
B-Fab dodged Natalya's Sharpshooter and landed a dropkick, but in the end, Natalya countered with an inside cradle, securing the three-count for the victory. She will continue forward in the competition to face inaugural Women's Speed winner Candice LeRae.
The WWE Women's Speed Championship was announced by Paul "Triple H" Levesque in August 2024, following the introduction of the men's version earlier that year.
The championship features a unique stipulation where matches have a five-minute time limit and are streamed exclusively on WWE's online platform, Speed. The tournament culminated in Candice LeRae defeating Iyo Sky in the final to become the first Women's Speed Champion.
The inaugural men's champion, Ricochet, won the title in April but quickly moved to AEW, making history as the first holder of the Speed Championship.
The nature and extent of Vega's injuries are currently unclear but must have been significant enough for her to drop out of an ongoing competition. Hopefully, the fan-favorite recovers soon.
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