History of Zelina Vega in Timeline

Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen, known as Zelina Vega, is an American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE, performing on the SmackDown brand. She is the current Women's United States Champion. Vega is a former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion and the inaugural winner of the Queen's Crown tournament in 2021, solidifying her presence in the WWE.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

December 27, 1990: Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen's Birth

On December 27, 1990, Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen, known professionally as Zelina Vega, was born.

February 20, 2010: Professional Wrestling Debut

On February 20, 2010, at the age of 17, Zelina Vega, under the ring name Divina Fly, made her professional wrestling debut for National Wrestling Superstars (NWS) in Bloomfield, New Jersey, losing to Brittney Savage.

June 26, 2010: WSU Tag Team Championship Competition

On June 26, 2010, as Divina Fly, Zelina Vega and Niya, known as The Fly Girls, competed for the WSU Tag Team Championships but were defeated by the champions, Cindy Rogers and Jana.

September 11, 2010: WSU Match Win Against Candy Cartwright

On September 11, 2010, Divina Fly won a match against newcomer Candy Cartwright using a Fly Cutter.

January 11, 2011: TNA Tryout Dark Match

On January 11, 2011, after being discovered by Tommy Dreamer, Zelina Vega wrestled in a tryout dark match at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's (TNA) Impact! television tapings, losing to Angelina Love.

February 2011: TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship Shot Earned

In February 2011, Rosita and Sarita defeated Angelina Love and Velvet Sky to earn a shot at Love's and Winter's TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship.

May 14, 2011: FWE In-Ring Debut

On May 14, 2011, Rosita made her in-ring debut for Family Wrestling Entertainment (FWE) at the Meltdown pay-per-view, losing to Winter with Christy Hemme as the special guest referee.

August 2011: CMLL Promotion Training and AAA Appearance

In late August 2011, Rosita traveled to Mexico and was trained by CMLL trainers and offered a contract, which she couldn't sign. She appeared on AAA's Sin Límite, promoting a TNA invasion storyline.

September 5, 2011: Featured in NBC Special: Children of 9/11

On September 5, 2011, Zelina Vega was featured in an NBC special titled "Children of 9/11".

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March 22, 2012: Failed to Recapture Knockouts Tag Team Championship

On the March 22, 2012, episode of Impact Wrestling, Rosita and Sarita failed to recapture the Knockouts Tag Team Championship, losing to Eric Young and ODB.

March 24, 2012: FWE Women's Championship Challenge

On March 24, 2012, Rosita returned to FWE at the Welcome to the Rumble pay-per-view, unsuccessfully challenging Maria Kanellis for the FWE Women's Championship in a three-way match, after Winter pinned her to become the new champion.

January 9, 2013: Departure from TNA

On January 9, 2013, it was reported that Zelina Vega's contract with TNA had expired and she had parted ways with the promotion.

March 4, 2013: WWE Tryout

On March 4, 2013, Zelina Vega participated in a tryout for WWE.

2014: Brief WWE Appearances

In 2014, Zelina Vega made several brief appearances in WWE, including as one of Adam Rose's "rosebuds".

May 6, 2015: Global Force Wrestling Roster Announcement

On May 6, 2015, Global Force Wrestling (GFW) announced Zelina Vega as part of their roster.

June 12, 2015: GFW Debut and Victory Over Lei'D Tapa

On June 12, 2015, Zelina Vega debuted for GFW, defeating Lei'D Tapa at the first show of the GFW Grand Slam Tour in Jackson, Tennessee.

July 17, 2015: Ring of Honor (ROH) Debut

On July 17, 2015, Zelina Vega made her debut in Ring of Honor (ROH), managing Austin Aries.

August 20, 2015: Profile Removed from GFW Website

On August 20, 2015, Zelina Vega's profile was removed from the GFW website.

September 2, 2016: Shine Wrestling Debut and Victory

On September 2, 2016, Zelina Vega joined Shine Wrestling, debuting on Shine 37, where she defeated Stormie Lee.

September 20, 2016: World Wonder Ring Stardom Debut

On September 20, 2016, Zelina Vega made her debut in World Wonder Ring Stardom, defeating Kris Wolf.

October 26, 2016: NXT Match Against Asuka

On the October 26, 2016, episode of NXT, Zelina Vega lost a match against NXT Women's Champion Asuka.

June 2017: WWE Contract Signing

By June 2017, Zelina Vega had signed a contract with WWE and began training at the WWE Performance Center.

2017: NXT Debut

In 2017, Zelina Vega debuted on WWE's NXT brand, primarily serving as the manager of Andrade "Cien" Almas.

January 27, 2018: NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia Interference

On January 27, 2018, at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, Zelina Vega interfered in Almas' title defense against Johnny Gargano, performing a diving hurricanrana on Gargano, resulting in her being attacked by Gargano's wife, Candice LeRae, while Almas eventually won the match.

2018: Marriage to Tom Büdgen

In 2018, Zelina Vega married Dutch professional wrestler Tom Büdgen, also known as Malakai Black. They reside in Tampa, Florida.

2019: WWE Superstar Shake-up and Draft to Raw

During the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Zelina Vega and Andrade were drafted to the Raw brand. However, Zelina Vega was moved back to the SmackDown brand on April 22. Later in October 2019, she and Andrade were drafted back to Raw.

2019: Portrayal of AJ Lee in 'Fighting with My Family'

In 2019, Zelina Vega portrayed fellow professional wrestler AJ Lee in the biographical film "Fighting with My Family".

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November 13, 2020: WWE Release

On November 13, 2020, WWE announced the release of Zelina Vega from her contract due to disagreements over third-party platform control.

November 2020: WWE Release

In November 2020, Zelina Vega was released by WWE, but she was re-signed less than six months later.

July 2, 2021: SmackDown Return and Money in the Bank Announcement

On July 2, 2021, Zelina Vega returned to SmackDown, announced as a competitor in the 2021 Women's Money in the Bank ladder match and lost against Liv Morgan on the same night.

September 10, 2021: SmackDown Match Cut for Time

On September 10, 2021, Zelina Vega's scheduled match on SmackDown at Madison Square Garden was cut for time, resulting in a personal apology from Vince McMahon.

2021: Queen's Crown Tournament Win

In 2021, Zelina Vega won the inaugural Queen's Crown tournament.

October 7, 2022: Vega Aligns with Legado Del Fantasma

On October 7, 2022, after a seven-month hiatus, Zelina Vega returned on SmackDown, aligning herself with Legado Del Fantasma and attacking Hit Row.

2022: In-Ring Injury Requiring Surgery

In May 2022, it was reported that Zelina Vega was out of action due to an in-ring injury which required surgery.

January 28, 2023: Women's Royal Rumble Match

On January 28, 2023, at the Royal Rumble, Vega entered the Women's Royal Rumble match at #21. She eliminated Xia Li before being eliminated by Lacey Evans.