WWE Star Zelina Vega Responds To Online Allegations, Urges Fans Not To Hate On Claimants
Following accusations from an independent prop maker and an artist earlier this week that Zelina Vega was difficult to work with and unnecessarily cost them money, the WWE star reluctantly took to social media to respond. Across a series of posts on social media platform X, Vega gave her side of the story, attempting to clear her name while discouraging fans from harassing the individuals who had spoken out.
"I do not want any hate sent to ANY of the people ... or situations that I'm about to clear up," Vega wrote. "If you're a fan of mine, please don't. This isn't meant to be 'Twitter fun' but I do have the right to defend myself."
Including screenshots of her conversation with the individuals involved, Vega showed that the artist told Vega that they had no interest in getting paid for providing custom artwork to be used on a game controller. At some point later, this became a point of contention between the two sides and Vega said that she "respectfully cut ties" with the artist.
Vega stated that she would post a video explaining her perspective on the alleged issues put forward by the prop maker, who is known by the handle @mecha_musume on Instagram. Posting to her Instagram Stories, which only stay online for 24 hours, Vega stated via video that the interactions with the prop maker took place last year, and she had to look at her old direct messages to be reminded about what took place. The situation began with Vega reaching out to the creator for a set of prop wings that Vega would wear on TV.
Zelina Vega Details Her Experience With Independent Prop Maker
According to Vega, she was very accommodating with the prop maker in terms of a deadline and told them to prioritize their mental health. When the items in question did arrive, they were heavily damaged while the boxes were completely intact, causing Vega to question what had happened.
One of the issues the prop maker had initially brought up was that Vega had underpaid her. Vega presented a screenshot of a text message seeming to show the prop maker offering a refund to Vega, among other options, due to the damage on the wings. Additionally, the prop was also something that had already been used by someone else, with the prop maker stating it would be fine to use the wings again with a fresh coat of paint. Due to the fresh coat of paint, the prop became sticky and lost the ability to move, which was something Vega had been told it was capable of.
After hearing that the prop maker was open to the idea of a refund, Vega said that she handed the process over to her assistants, believing that the two were parting on amicable terms. Continuing in her video response, the WWE star said that she works with many different artists and prop designers and wasn't aware of any other negative experiences.
Addressing accusations that Vega's husband, AEW star Malakai Black, was her assistant, the wrestler shut that idea down. Vega also took issue with online commenters labeling her a "scammer" because of her role in the situation. She encouraged the prop maker to reach out again if she still isn't satisfied and Vega would try to come to an agreement, but Vega noted that she was still blocked at the time.