WWE Star’s Push Reportedly Caused Some Booking Changes?

Published: Jul 30, 2023 by SP3 | Last Updated: Jul 31, 2023 by SP3

Born in Harlem, New York and now living in the Bronx, Sid Pullar III aka SP3 is a lifelong wrestling fan who has been covering the industry for over nine years as a podcaster and writer. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as WrestleTalk, Sports Illustrated and more.

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WWE

A WWE star’s push has reportedly caused some booking changes.

As seen with LA Knight right now, a WWE star can catch fire and receive a surge of popularity at any time.

At WWE Backlash 2023, Rhea Ripley defeated Zelina Vega to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Vega received a huge reaction from the crowd in Puerto Rico.

This apparently caused some booking changes over the past few months since then.

Fightful Select (subscription required) provided an update, noting that the original plan for the SmackDown Women’s Title match at Backlash in Puerto Rico was for Ripley to squash Vega despite her geographical location and her connection.

However, a change was made and Zelina ended up getting a memorable reaction from the crowd. Rhea Ripley was more than happy to accommodate the change in the booking to the bout, which did only go seven minutes but wasn’t a complete squash.

Since the event, Vega has been featured regularly on WWE TV and competed in the Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match on July 1.

The report notes that much of the push that has followed for Zelina was as a result of her performance and the reception she got at Backlash.

WWE sources have also indicated the change ended up being a very good one for all involved, including WWE, Zelina Vega and giving Rhea Ripley a memorable title defense.

Vega is currently a member of the Latino World Order alongside Rey Mysterio, Santos Escobar, Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde on the SmackDown brand.

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