Zelina Vega will take on Rhea Ripley tonight at Backlash for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, and Vega is looking to make a statement. Not only is the Title on the line, but Vega is battling Ripley in her homeland of Puerto Rico as a member of the LWO. To say the stakes are high would be an understatement, but Vega is embracing those stakes, and when PopCulture.com’s Brian Jones spoke to Vega ahead of her match at Backlash, she wants to represent all Latinos and bring some Championship gold to the Latino World Order.
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“It would be an honor to be able to bring a championship,” Vega said. “And I think that’s what we need right now is again, you’re representing not just for Puerto Rico, but for Latinos in general, for WWE, and for all the people that have got to work their asses off and haven’t gotten the opportunities that they’ve worked so hard for.”
“And I think even now getting this opportunity against Rhea, I’ve said this before, win, lose or draw, you’re going to get all of me. And I always like to quote Rock Lee when it comes to stuff like this. Like he said, ‘A hero’s not one who never falls. It’s the one who gets up again and again, never losing sight of their dreams.’ And that’s a hundred percent me when it comes to this. So I’m focused, I’m ready. And I think making sure that LWO stands strong is something that we’re all really focused on,” Vega said.
Rhea is one of the most formidable superstars on the roster, but that isn’t deterring Vega, and she’s shown that you can counter power with agility and quickness. Vega’s gotten the better of Ripley over the past two months, and she looks to do it again at Backlash.
“She’s not as quick. She’s got a lot of muscle mass on her so she’s not as quick, but once she gets her hands on you, it’s kind of hard to get it back. It’s hard to get that power back,” Vega explained. And I think for me, it’s just making sure that I can stay on my feet quicker and making sure that I can outsmart her. Because I know once she sees red, when she’s angry, she starts making mistakes,” Vega said.
You can find the official card for WWE Backlash below.
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
San Juan Street Fight: Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest
SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Rhea Ripley (C) vs. Zelina Vega
Raw Women’s Championship Match: Bianca Belair (C) vs. IYO SKY
United States Championship Match: Austin Theory (C) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed
Six-Man Tag Team Match: Matt Riddle and Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. The Bloodline (The Usos & Solo Sikoa)
WWE Backlash kicks off on Peacock tonight at 8 PM EST.
