Members of the Latino World Order got matching tattoos ahead of Saturday’s Backlash event in Puerto Rico.
WWE’s social media showed a short video of Rey Mysterio, Zelina Vega, Cruz Del Toro, Santos Escobar, and Joaquin Wilde all getting matching tattoos of the LWO logo.
Members of the LWO are in action Saturday at Backlash. Zelina Vega will challenge Rhea Ripley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Bad Bunny, who wore a LWO shirt on SmackDown on Friday, will face off against Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight.
The LWO, which originally was a stable in WCW between 1998 and 1999, was resurrected just prior to WrestleMania, when Rey Mysterio gave Legado Del Fantasma LWO t-shirts. Since then, the stable has feuded with The Judgment Day, with Mysterio and Vega teaming up to defeat Dominik Mysterio and Ripley on SmackDown Friday.
A matchup between Zelina Vega and Sonya Deville looks to be set for next week’s SmackDown.
On the latest edition of The SmackDown LowDown, Deville and Chelsea Green interrupted an interview with Vega. The confrontation led to Deville accepting Vega’s challenge for a match next Friday (April 28).
Deville and Green were upset that Vega is getting a SmackDown Women’s Championship shot before they are. Vega is challenging Rhea Ripley for the title at Backlash in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Saturday, May 6.
Deville & Green attempted to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles on SmackDown last night but lost to champions Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan.
Next Friday’s SmackDown will be the first night of the WWE Draft. The episode is taking place at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. It’s set to feature:
The WWE Draft begins
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defend against The Usos
Three new matches have been added to next month’s Backlash event in Puerto Rico
The SmackDown Women’s title will be on the line on May 6, as Rhea Ripley will defend the championship against Zelina Vega. Friday’s SmackDown saw Vega ask Adam Pearce for a title match, saying that as a Puerto Rican, she deserves a chance to defeat Vega in the country. The match was confirmed later in the show.
Seth Rollins and Omos will also meet. Rollins was last seen on Monday’s Raw, defeating The Miz.
A three-way for the United States title has also been added, with champion Austin Theory defending against Bronson Reed and Bobby Lashley. Theory and Lashley were wrestling for the title on Monday’s Raw when Bronson Reed, who faced Bobby Lashley in a match that ended in a double count out the previous week, attacked Lashley for the DQ.
Here is the card so far for Backlash:
The Usos & Solo Sikoa vs. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Matt Riddle
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
WWE United States title: Austin Theory (c) defends against Bronson Reed and Bobby Lashley
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) defends against Zelina Vega
WWE has announced that Reigns will appear on tonight’s Royal Rumble fallout episode of SmackDown. It will follow up from the show-closing angle of last Saturday’s pay-per-view, where Sami Zayn hit Reigns with a steel chair and split from The Bloodline. Jey Uso then walked out on The Bloodline as they were beating down Zayn.
Reigns defending his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes has been made official for WrestleMania 39. Before that, Reigns is expected to face off with Zayn at WWE’s Elimination Chamber PPV in Montreal on Saturday, February 18.
WWE.com wrote:
How will The Head of the Table react to the unprecedented turmoil that has rocked The Bloodline? Will Reigns have any response to Cody Rhodes after the Royal Rumble winner addressed their WrestleMania title showdown? Will The Island of Relevancy ever be the same? Don’t miss all the action of SmackDown this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX.
A fatal four-way Elimination Chamber qualifying match has also been added to the lineup for tonight’s SmackDown. Shayna Baszler, Shotzi, Zelina Vega, and Natalya will face off with a spot in the women’s Elimination Chamber match on the line.
The women’s Elimination Chamber match will determine Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair’s challenger for WrestleMania 39. Asuka, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, and Nikki Cross have already been confirmed for the match. The final participant will be determined in a qualifier between Michin, Candice LeRae, Piper Niven, and Carmella on Raw next Monday.
SmackDown is being held at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina tonight. The updated card for the episode is listed below:
Roman Reigns appears
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Sonya Deville
SmackDown Tag Team title contender’s tournament finals: Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci)
Women’s Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Shayna Baszler vs. Shotzi vs. Zelina Vega vs. Natalya
Legado Del Fantasma have arrived on the WWE main roster, alongside the returning Zelina Vega.
The Legado Del Fantasma trio of Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro made their SmackDown debut on Friday’s episode at the storyline behest of Zelina Vega, attacking Hit Row and leaving them laying.
Legado Del Fantasma was formed in the summer of 2020 on the NXT brand, with Escobar, Wilde, and Del Toro. Elektra Lopez was added to the group in August 2021, but has seemingly been dropped from the group in favor of Vega.
Escobar lost a match to Tony D’Angelo at NXT Heatwave on August 16 of this year, with the stipulation that he would leave the brand with the defeat. On the following week’s NXT episode, Escobar invited the rest of the stable to leave with him, stating that he was not going to leave them behind.
Vega’s return to television comes after a nearly six-month absence. She last wrestled on the April 11 episode of Raw, then appeared on the April 25 episode in a non-wrestling role. She was reportedly sidelined due to an injury that required surgery.
Zelina Vega/Queen Zelina is expected to return on WWE SmackDown.
The 31-year-old has been out of action since April after suffering an undisclosed injury that required surgery. According to a report from PW Insider, Vega has been spotted in Boston ahead of SmackDown from the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. There are reportedly creative plans in place for her return on tonight’s show.
According to a report from Fightful Select, there has been a “heavy pitch and push” to put Zelina with the Legado Del Fantasma faction, possibly as a replacement for Elektra Lopez. Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro have also been spotted in the area of tonight’s show, but Lopez is not believed to be with them.
Vega returned to WWE in July 2021 after an eight-month absence following her release from the company on November 13, 2020. Her departure occurred at the same time WWE was instituting a new policy limiting its roster from taking part in third-party opportunities with companies such as Twitch. In a since-deleted tweet, Vega announced her support for unionization shortly before her release was made public.
Since returning to WWE, Vega won the inaugural Queen’s Crown tournament and held the Women’s Tag Team titles along with Carmella from the November 22, 2021 edition of Raw until dropping them to Sasha Banks and Naomi at WrestleMania 38.
Former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Zelina Vega is currently out of action due to an injury.
PWInsider reports that the reason Vega has been off WWE television in recent weeks is because she suffered an in-ring injury that required surgery. The injury that Vega suffered hasn’t been disclosed, but PWInsider wrote that she’s expected to miss another 6-8 weeks.
Vega hasn’t wrestled since losing a match to Bianca Belair on the April 11 episode of Raw. though she interfered in Belair’s Raw Women’s Championship defense against Sonya Deville on Raw on April 25.
“There has been talk about [Vega] receiving a push upon her return as sources have noted her willingness to do what was requested of her and her hard work has been noticed behind the scenes,” PWInsider wrote.
Vega & Carmella lost the Women’s Tag Team titles to Sasha Banks & Naomi in a fatal four-way match at WrestleMania 38 last month. The titles have since been declared vacant due to Banks & Naomi walking out of Raw on May 16.
Vega was crowned the winner of WWE’s first-ever Queen’s Crown Tournament at Crown Jewel last October.
WWE has announced a change to the card for tonight’s SmackDown.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Zelina Vega & Carmella will now face Sasha Banks & Naomi in a non-title match on SmackDown tonight. It was originally announced that Banks would be taking on Vega in a singles match on the show.
Vega & Carmella defending their titles against Banks & Naomi and Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan in a triple threat match has been announced for WrestleMania 38 night two on Sunday, April 3. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that a fourth team is expected to be added to that match.
“While not yet announced, the women’s tag title match as of this week was scheduled as a four-team match,” Meltzer wrote. “The fourth team would involve Natalya but they had not decided on her partner as of the last word, although it’s very possible that decision will be made this week.”
On last week’s SmackDown, Naomi defeated Carmella in a singles match.
Ripley & Morgan were added to the Women’s Tag Team title match at WrestleMania after they defeated Vega & Carmella in a non-title bout on Raw this Monday.
Tonight’s SmackDown is being held at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Big E & Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus & Ridge Holland is also set for the episode.
This week’s Main Event was taped at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina before Monday’s Raw.
Veer Mahaan defeated Apollo Crews (w/ Commander Azeez) (5:00)
This was a rematch from last week and ended with the same outcome. It was definitely a better contest than last time out and felt much pacier.
While Veer Mahaan is still undefeated and may or may not appear on Raw one day soon, Apollo Crews now only has one singles win since last August. They just aren’t pushing the act with Crews and Commander Azeez like they had been — and they looked weak again here.
Azeez got a cheap shot in early on but was sent packing far too easily at the finish. He’s such an enormous presence but isn’t being booked like he should be.
In this one and in last week’s match, Crews tried to get all his stuff into the short bout, but Mahaan had an answer for everything.
Mahaan is slowly improving and seems to enjoy being a babyface as he was here. He finished this one by pulling Crews down from the top rope and using a running splash/Thesz Press.
It remains to be seen what Mahaan’s finisher will be if and when he joins the main roster, as he’s now used three over the last few months.
Liv Morgan defeated Queen Zelina (w/ Carmella) (8:01)
This dragged a little as they were given too much time, but Zelina Vega is enjoying her gimmick and Liv Morgan looked good again here.
Not only was this the first time I can recall one half of the women’s tag team champions working a match on Main Event, this match also marked Vega’s debut on this show.
Logically, Morgan should have been given a tag partner and they could have worked a better match, but nothing tends to make much sense on this show. Carmella didn’t do much other than help Vega out of a pin late on.
Morgan recently worked the women’s Elimination Chamber match and has been up against Rhea Ripley and Doudrop of late, but this was the second time this year she has found herself on Main Event.
After the ad break, they got going into a much better pace and Morgan managed to come back and hit the Oblivion out of nowhere to get the win.
The way that Morgan powers up to quickly snap on Oblivion is really effective and is the kind of thing they could make way more of. This was a good win for her.
Final Thoughts —
Two pretty average matches this week on a show that continues to exist in a vacuum. It will be interesting to see what happens with Veer and whether post-WrestleMania we get any roster shake-ups that would bring some fresh faces to Main Event.
In an interview with TalkSport, Zelina Vega said that WWE chairman Vince McMahon apologized for pulling her from the SmackDown that took place in New York City on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Vega’s father was killed in the attacks and she was scheduled for the September 10th show, complete with an outfit in tribute. However, her tag team match with Carmella against Liv Morgan and Toni Storm was pulled due to time which drew the ire of fans.
Vega told TalkSport that she felt the anger about the decision was “misguided” and that while she was disappointed, the decision wasn’t personal.
“When it got cut, Vince called me and apologized because he wanted to make sure that I knew, ‘Listen, this wasn’t done to you personally or anything, it was literally just this (the time), I had to make that call and I’m so sorry.’ And people don’t know that side either.”
She later said, “To have a boss to care enough to call you and go ‘Look, I’m sorry’, that’s important.”
Vega (Thea Trinidad Budgen) returned to WWE in July after being released in November 2020 following a disagreement over their then-new policies regarding third-party deals with companies like Twitch and Cameo.
A king and queen of WWE were crowned at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.
Xavier Woods became King of the Ring by defeating Finn Balor in the tournament finals. In the Queen’s Crown tournament finals, Zelina Vega defeated Doudrop.
“All hail King Xavier” and “All hail Queen Zelina” were announced after their respective wins.
Woods has called winning King of the Ring a lifelong dream of his. Before Crown Jewel, Woods tweeted that today’s match was the most important of his life: “My entire career I’ve been told to tone it down, don’t be my FULL self. I’m too ridiculous, I don’t fit in. Just be like everyone else. Don’t think outside the box. Tonight, I have a chance to show all of those people they were wrong. This is the most important match of my life”
Woods defeated Ricochet in the first round and Jinder Mahal in the semifinals of the King of the Ring tournament, while Vega defeated Toni Storm and Carmella to get to the Queen’s Crown finals.
Woods is WWE’s first King of the Ring since Baron Corbin won the tournament in 2019. Vega is the inaugural Queen’s Crown winner.
Zelina Vega has booked her spot in the finals of WWE’s Queen’s Crown tournament.
On tonight’s SmackDown, Vega defeated Carmella to advance to the finals of the Queen’s Crown tournament. Vega will be facing either Shayna Baszler or Doudrop in the finals.
Vega rolled up Carmella to get the win in tonight’s semifinal match. When Carmella broke their agreement to have a clean and fair match, Vega responded by punching Carmella in the face. Carmella then retreated to the floor to get her protective face mask. After she tried to call a timeout when the referee started his 10 count, Carmella turned back around and saw Liv Morgan holding her mask.
Carmella got scared and returned to the ring when Morgan went to hit her. Vega then immediately rolled up Carmella to get the win.
Baszler and Doudrop’s semifinal match is taking place on Monday’s Raw. Also on Monday, Xavier Woods and Jinder Mahal will face off to determine who will advance to face Finn Balor in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament.
The Queen’s Crown and King of the Ring tournament finals are both being held at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia next Thursday (October 21). Here’s the updated card for Crown Jewel:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Brock Lesnar
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks in a triple threat match
WWE Champion Big E defends against Drew McIntyre
No holds barred match: Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley
Hell in a Cell match: Edge vs. Seth Rollins
Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) defend against AJ Styles & Omos
Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali
King of the Ring tournament finals: Finn Balor vs. Xavier Woods or Jinder Mahal
Queen’s Crown tournament finals: Zelina Vega vs. Shayna Baszler or Doudrop
The first two wrestlers have advanced in WWE’s inaugural Queen’s Crown tournament.
Zelina Vega and Carmella booked their spots in the Queen’s Crown tournament semifinals by winning first-round matches on tonight’s episode of SmackDown. Vega defeated Toni Storm, while Carmella defeated Liv Morgan.
Vega and Carmella’s semifinal match will take place on SmackDown next Friday.
Here’s the full bracket for the Queen’s Crown tournament:
Zelina Vega defeated Toni Storm
Carmella defeated Liv Morgan
Doudrop vs. Natalya
Dana Brooke vs. Shayna Baszler
Doudrop vs. Natalya and Brooke vs. Baszler will both be taking place on Raw. The Queen’s Crown finals will be held at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 21.
The 2021 King of the Ring tournament will also conclude at Crown Jewel. That tournament kicked off with Sami Zayn defeating Rey Mysterio and Finn Balor defeating Cesaro on SmackDown tonight. Kofi Kingston vs. Jinder Mahal and Xavier Woods vs. Ricochet are the other King of the Ring first-round matches.
More WWE wrestlers were drafted during the episode of Talking Smack that aired this morning on Peacock.
It was announced during the show that Reggie, Akira Tozawa, Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis), Apollo Crews, Commander Azeez, Doudrop, Drake Maverick, John Morrison, T-Bar, Nia Jax, R-Truth, and Zelina Vega have been drafted to Raw. NXT star Aliyah, Drew Gulak, Mace, Mansoor, Mustafa Ali, and Toni Storm, meanwhile, have been drafted to SmackDown.
Back in July, Aliyah had turned on Robert Stone after she and Jessi Kamea lost to Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter. Since then, she has been off NXT television, reportedly traded to the main roster for Mandy Rose, who has since returned to NXT and has aligned herself with Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolan to form Toxic Attraction.
The first night of the draft took place on SmackDown, with the second night of the draft due to take place on Raw this coming Monday. High profile brand switches include Charlotte Flair, Drew McIntyre, New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods), NXT’s Hit Row, and Jeff Hardy being drafted to SmackDown while Bianca Belair, Edge, Rey & Dominik Mysterio, and NXT’s Austin Theory are moving to Raw.
A match that was supposed to take place on tonight’s SmackDown at Madison Square Garden was cut due to time issues.
John Pollock of Post Wrestling reported that Zelina Vega & Carmella were scheduled to face Liv Morgan & Toni Storm in a tag team match on SmackDown in New York City tonight, but the match was cut for time.
During the show, Vega posted pictures of her gear for tonight’s SmackDown and wrote “nevermind.” Carmella and Morgan also appeared to make references to the match being cut, tweeting “…”
Vega (real name Thea Trinidad Budgen) and Stephanie McMahon took part in a special screening of WWE’s “Never Forget: WWE Returns After 9/11” documentary prior to tonight’s SmackDown at Madison Square Garden. The documentary, which marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and is focused on the post-9/11 episode of SmackDown, premiered on Peacock and WWE’s digital channels today. Trinidad’s father, Michael Trinidad, died in the attacks.
