We've seen Zelina Vega in a few sporadic matches here and there since she first debuted in NXT as a manager, but she recently dropped her current tag team of Andrade and Angel Garza, and this past Monday on Raw she defeated Mickie James to become the new No. 1 contender for Asuka's Women's Championship.
Vega actually has over a decade of in-ring experience, and it sounds like there was always going to be an option for her to become a full-time competitor in WWE.
During an interview with TV Insider, Zelina explained that it was Triple H who wanted her to start out in a managerial role, but acknowledged her desire to wrestle down the line.
“I had the conversation with Hunter [Triple H] too. He said, ‘I know you want to wrestle, but I feel this is a great starting point. If you want to get to wrestling still, we’ll absolutely go there. But if you fall in love with this role, let’s go with it. We see great things for you in this role.'”
Vega was one of the major reasons why Andrade got over, but their dynamic changed (and not for the better) when Angel Garza was introduced to form a trio. This seems like the perfect time for her to transition to a full-time competitor - although we son't see her walking away with the title this Sunday at Clash of Champions!