Zelina Vega Wants to Win a WWE Title to Honor Her Late Father Who Died on 9/11

Success can be attained in many ways in WWE, and winning championships is the most effective measure of achievement. But you can't win titles without the proper motivation – and there's no WWE Superstar with more to fight for in 2023 than Zelina Vega.

For those in the WWE Universe who are unaware, Zelina's real-life backstory is heartbreaking. In 2001, when she was only ten years old, she tragically lost her father during the events of September 11. Admirably, she has been open about her struggles growing up without a father. For example, she spoke with WWE cameras in 2018 about her tragic loss:

Zelina Vega Made a Promise to Her Father After His Death

Queen Zelina Vega Photo: WWE

Talk about inspiration. There is arguably no WWE Superstar on the roster today who has more motivation than Zelina Vega. During a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, Zelina was once again candid about her life experiences. As Americans recognized the 22-year-anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Zelina reminded herself, and the WWE Universe. what is fueling her inside the ring: Her father.

"I think a part of it definitely is feeling unfulfilled in this way," Zelina explained to the show's hosts. "Because I started it because of him. I started because I made a promise, and even when I did get let go in 2020, I felt unfulfilled. I felt like I didn't complete my promise, and I still don't feel like I have until that's complete.I think because I genuinely feel like it will happen, I still keep going. I have that, I have my husband, who supports me so much, and my family. I feel like I have so many reasons to look forward that I don't feel like it's complete yet."

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Zelina's WWE release in 2020 shocked many in the WWE Universe, but by all accounts, she has ascended to even greater heights than she did during her initial run. However, no one can deny that Zelina is hungry – she made a promise to her late father, and she intends to make him proud.

Zelina Vega Isn't Looking For Any Handouts in WWE

Zelina Vega lays across the top rope of the ring. Photo: WWE

While Zelina Vega is no stranger to championship opportunities, she acknowledges that she doesn't want to win a title because the "perfect" situation fell into place. While it would've been easy for WWE to crown her the Women's World Champion at Backlash in Puerto Rico, the timing still wasn't right. In Zelina's eyes, she knows she has to earn a championship on her own merit, not because of the time of year or the location of an event.

"I'd like to think that maybe part of it has to do with the fact that they wouldn't want to do it just to do it because of the day," she confessed. "I think either way, you're gonna get, 'Oh, they only gave it to her because it's 9/11 and they wanted to throw her a bone after blah-blah-blah happened at MSG,' or 'They just gave it to her in Puerto Rico because she's from there.' I'd like to think that they'd want to give it to me because I deserve it. That's what I'm looking for. I don't want to be thrown a bone because this is a sympathy bone that you get on the day. As much as it would be literally everything I could have wanted, I want to get it because I deserve it."

We applaud Zelina for acknowledging she doesn't want to be handed anything because it would make for a good storyline. In essence, her understanding of her place in the WWE women's division only serves to fuel her more.

Is Zelina Vega Manifesting an Eventual Championship Win?

Zelina Vega becomes Queen Zelina. Photo: WWE

So what does the future hold for arguably the most prominent member of the Latino World Order? Fortunately, in 2023, Zelina Vega is enjoying a groundswell of support from the WWE Universe, and she has no problem manifesting an eventual championship win. She knows her fans support her in all situations – and historically, in WWE, the WWE Universe ultimately has a say in who they want to hold championships!

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"I genuinely believe that it has to [happen]," Zelina said of eventually capturing a championship. "There's no reason that it shouldn't. There's just so much you can ignore the people, and what they want. I feel like if this continues that way, a decision's gonna have to be forced at some point. So it's just on me to keep doing what I'm doing because there's nothing else I can do."

Parlaying overwhelming organic crowd support into a monumental championship reign has worked for Superstars like Daniel Bryan, Kofi Kingston, and Becky Lynch – who's to say it can't happen for Zelina Vega as well? The blueprint has been laid – all that's left is for Zelina to follow it as best she can.

In the end, Zelina intends to stay laser-focused on her task at hand – winning a women's championship in honor of her late father:

"I'm gonna do it for him."

You can tune in to Peacock to watch WWE's Fastlane on October 7. In the meantime, catch up on all things WWE Universe on Peacock.