Zelina Vega Escorted Out Of Last Week’s WWE SmackDown Tapings

WWE announced Zelina Vega’s release Friday afternoon, just minutes after she tweeted her support for unionization. Her abrupt departure from the company and the subsequent fallout have been one of the top stories we’ve been tracking over the past week.

Vega issued a heartfelt message thanking WWE for the experience, as well as several key people who believed in her and helped her achieve the success that she did. She would later describe the past week as “literal hell.”

Zelina Vega Describes The Past Week As ‘Literal Hell’

A new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter states that Vega was unceremoniously escorted out of the building at Friday’s SmackDown taping after Vince McMahon refused to meet with her:

“According to one person in the company with knowledge of the situation, she was told about it by Mark Carrano, asked to talk to Vince McMahon and Carrano told her that he doesn’t want to talk to you and [she] was escorted out of the building.”

WWE has publicly confirmed that Zelina Vega was released because she breached her contract. Vega is a popular online streamer. In addition to her very lucrative presence on Twitch, she also recently launched an account on OnlyFans, where people can subscribe for $30/month to receive exclusive videos and photos of “cosplays, lingerie, swimsuits and more.”

News of Zelina Vega’s clash with WWE has caught the attention of politician Andrew Yang, as well as the prominent Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) labor union. Her fallout with WWE has brought renewed attention to WWE’s questionable classification of talent as independent contractors.

I want to say thank you all very much for the last 3-4 years @WWEUniverse, it was incredible. I would have never have been able to say “this is for you dad” if certain people did not believe in me. I love you all and I couldn’t have done it without your support

— (@Zelina_VegaWWE) November 14, 2020