Zelina Vega’s journey in the world of professional wrestling has been full of ups and downs. As a young girl, she fell in love with the sport and dreamed of one day becoming a wrestler. However, it wasn’t until several failed WWE tryouts that she finally signed with the company in 2017.
Since then, Vega has worked tirelessly to make a name for herself in the industry. She has competed on some of the biggest stages in wrestling, including NXT, Monday Night RAW, and SmackDown. In 2021, she became the first woman to win the Queen’s Crown tournament, cementing her place as one of the top wrestlers in the business.
Despite her success, Vega’s journey has not been without its challenges. After failing her seventh WWE tryout, she was on the verge of quitting wrestling altogether. It was at this moment that she received an unexpected lifeline from none other than WWE legend, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
In a recent interview, Vega revealed that The Rock reached out to her and asked her to give him three days. He was working on something that he thought might change her mind about quitting wrestling. Vega agreed to give him a chance, and she’s glad she did.
The thing that The Rock was working on turned out to be the opportunity for Vega to play the role of AJ Lee in the biopic Wrestling with My Family. The movie was produced by The Rock himself, and it gave Vega the chance to showcase her acting abilities and reignite her passion for wrestling.
Looking back on that moment, Vega is grateful to The Rock for giving her a second chance. Without his intervention, she might have given up on her dream of becoming a wrestler. Instead, she has gone on to achieve things that she once thought were impossible.
“It’s funny because I was about to quit. When Dwayne [Johnson] and I spoke about it, right after I had a WWE tryout for the seventh time…at that point, I was like, ‘I’ve given it my all. They haven’t seen what they’re looking for. I can’t do this.’ There was a movie that I had auditioned for that I didn’t get, too. I was just so down and out. I was thinking, ‘Do I just give up at this point?’ Dwayne goes, ‘Give me three days. I’m working on something. Don’t give up.’ I was like, ‘Okay,'”Performance Center, it’s been a dream come true. Had I not said anything to him [The Rock], to not be able to live this dream…it’s crazy how these little things [work]. If one thing had just changed, none of this would have happened. I owe a lot to him. It’s mindblowing to think had that one instance changed, everything else would have,
Vega’s story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the impact that one person can have on another’s life. Without The Rock’s support, she might have never made it to the top of the wrestling world
