WWE
For those of you wondering what Vince McMahon thinks about anime, wonder no more.
Wrestlers are known to sometimes incorporate their interests outside of the ring into their gear and character.
The New Day have paid tribute to Final Fantasy, Ricochet as Nightwing, and AEW’s Jade Cargill has performed in She-Hulk and Thundercats cosplay to name a few.
Zelina Vega is known for her love for anime with regular cosplay postings on her social media channels.
Her fandom has sometimes crossed over on-screen.
Previously, she entered the Royal Rumble dressed as the Naruto villain, Madara Uchiha.
Zelina Vega has revealed how she convinced Vince McMahon to let her incorporate anime into her persona.
During an appearance on the, That’s Dope! podcast, Vega recalled:
“I had Neil Kaplan, who’s the English voice actor for (‘Naruto’ character) Madara (Uchiha)…I had him do my entrance music.
“When you hear the music start, you hear his voice as Madara saying, ‘All hail the Queen, Queen Zelina,’ and then the music would start.”
The former Queen Zelina explained how she pitched the crossover to McMahon.
In order to convince Vince McMahon, Vega compared the Madara Uchiha and Naruto dynamic to Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns, saying:
“‘Naruto’ is like the WWE of anime, and he’s (Vince) like ‘Okay, I like ‘Naruto,”
“So I was like ‘Madura is kind of like what Paul Heyman is to Roman (Reigns),’ and he was like, ‘We need it.'”
Job done.
McMahon was not as easily sold on Vega’s request to do a “Naruto run” to the ring, however.
She also claimed that McMahon thought CrunchyRoll, the anime streaming service, was a type of sushi.
Zelina Vega returned to WWE during the October 7 edition of SmackDown after several months away.
She was revealed as the new member of Legado Del Fantasma, replacing the group’s previous female member Elektra Lopez.
Transcription via Wrestling Inc.
Check out WrestleShop.com for all your favorite WrestleTalk merch, the WrestleTalk Magazine, wrestling shirts for grown-ups, and more!
1 year ago by Laura Cude
Trending
- WWE Star Breaks Character To Congratulate Trick Williams For Winning NXT Championship
- WWE Star Feels He Let People Down With WrestleMania 40 Match
- AEW’s Jon Moxley Addresses Fans Thinking He’d Appear At WWE WrestleMania 40
- AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland Fires Back At WWE Star
- Triple H Addresses New WWE Title Change
- Carmelo Hayes Reacts To Trick Williams WWE NXT Championship Win
- Official WWE Draft 2024 Rules Announced
- AEW In-Ring Debut Confirmed
- WWE Star Says Trick Williams Isn’t Ready For The Main Roster
- WWE NXT Star ‘Expected’ To Be Drafted To Raw Or SmackDown
mailing list