WWE Officials, Vince McMahon Reportedly Pushing Two Female Stars

WWE officials and Vince McMahon are firmly behind the pushes of two rising female stars.

Even with the company boasting its most talented women’s division ever with a jam-packed roster that includes the likes of Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and a star-studded crew in NXT, WWE is reportedly moving forward with significant pushes for a new star who isn’t even a trained wrestler and another who has spent most of her WWE career as a manager.

According to a report from Inside The Ropes, Zelina Vega has been getting high praise from WWE management and Vince McMahon: “Word around WWE is that Zelina Vega has really impressed management as of late. Sources tell Inside the Ropes that WWE regards her manager role on TV as ‘really special’ and that’s why they always find something for her. It’s also said she’s regarded as ‘one of the best talkers in the entire company’—whatever the gender—and that Vince McMahon is a fan of her.”

During what has been an up-and-down 2020 for WWE, Vega has been one of the company’s biggest bright spots, even despite the lackluster booking she’s been saddled with throughout the year. Serving as a key piece of the on-and-off feud/friendship between Andrade and Angel Garza, Vega has established herself as one of pro wrestling’s most elite managers as well as a master of the microphone. The decision to split her from Andrade and Garza was a surprising one that will likely hurt their chances of rising up the card, but it is also paving the way for Vega to do just that.

Inside The Ropes notes, “WWE are said to have been very impressed with her recent in-ring work, particularly against Asuka…many superstars have praised her work on the microphone, too, and that has also trickled back to management.”

Over the past several years, WWE has largely built the women’s division around just a handful of stars, mainly the Four Horsewomen (Lynch, Flair, Banks and Bayley), Asuka and Alexa Bliss. While those stars are still serving as cornerstones of the division, Vega is finally getting her chance to prove that she can do more than talk the talk for two poorly booked midcard stars. Of course, Vega’s biggest strength is her promo skills, but she’s shown flashes of potential in the ring and has plenty of experience there, making her an ideal candidate to become one of those rare non-Four Horsewomen stars to make a substantial and sustained impact at the top of the women’s division.

Vega is currently—or already, depending upon how you look at it—feuding with Asuka over the Raw Women’s Championship, though, which represents a major problem WWE has with its booking: Doing too much, too soon. Perhaps Vega’s sudden push as an in-ring performer would be more palatable if she wasn’t immediately catapulted from being a non-wrestler to becoming the No. 1 contender to one of the most dominant women in WWE history, but WWE’s impatience has put her in a difficult spot that may ultimately end up with her being used to put over Asuka and then instantly fall back down the card.

The fate of another promising female talent is also to-be-determined, but early indications are that she has a chance to stick around despite having little experience in the world of pro wrestling.

McMahon is also said to be a big supporter of Rey Mysterio’s daughter Aalyah, who has recently been performing in a non-wrestling role on Monday Night Raw. WrestlingNews.co reports, “Aalyah was only supposed to be part of storylines for a short time to support her brother Dominik but the Mysterio family segments have done great in the ratings [and] the credit is being given to Aalyah because her YouTube numbers are doing above average numbers.” A source told the site, “Don’t be surprised if Vince offers her a full-time contract. He sees star potential in her…You will see her in multiple segments on some shows going forward. She’s great to work with. She’s eager to learn and if she wants to pursue a career here or anywhere in the entertainment world then I think she will be successful.”

Aalyah’s father Rey recently signed a new deal with WWE, and it likely isn’t a coincidence that since then both Aalyah and Rey’s son Dominik have been featured prominently on Raw in a storyline involving Seth Rollins and Murphy. WWE threw fans a curveball when Rollins was drafted to SmackDown during night one of the WWE Draft, but with Rey and Dominik later following suit, Aalyah will presumably be headed there along with them, likely remaining a focal point of their storyline.

Although Aalyah is not a pro wrestler, her early work on-screen has turned heads and apparently resulted in chatter that she could stick around beyond this soap opera-esque storyline. Dominik has already proven to be a very good wrestler who has a world of potential, so of course, there is always the chance that the 19-year-old Aalyah could make a significant impact in pro wrestling as well. Of course, it’s likely that some within WWE’s passionate fan base will be up in arms about a non-wrestler taking up so much TV time when talented female stars like Naomi and Carmella have struggled to even get on TV, but with Aalyah’s segments performing well—not to mention Rey’s new contract and WWE’s love of second-generation superstars—it wouldn’t be at all surprising for Aalyah to remain with WWE in some capacity.

Despite the expected backlash to her having such a big presence on TV, Aalyah has obviously made some sort of connection with the WWE fan base, and like Vega, she appears to be in line for a significant push as a result, though their respective pushes figure to be drastically different. There is reason to believe, however, that their true pushes may never actually come to fruition. There have recently been reports of WWE wanting to push other female stars, like Bianca Belair and Peyton Royce, only for those stars to struggle to get on TV.

Who’s to say that Aalyah and Vega, no matter how well-liked or talented they are, will be able to break that cycle?