Thea Trinidad wasted no time. Hours after her WWE non-compete expired, she introduced the name she will carry into her next chapter.
Trinidad, who spent nearly a decade in WWE as Zelina Vega, posted a vignette on Thursday, debuting it at midnight on her Instagram and Twitch channels. The nearly six-minute video is built around her meeting her younger self and walking back through the different eras of her career, including her run as Queen Zelina, her partnership with Andrade El Idolo, representing Puerto Rico at Backlash and her Women’s United States Championship reign. Andrade and her husband, Aleister Black, both appear briefly.
It also touches on the loss of her father, who died in the September 11 attacks when she was a child, a part of her story she has spoken about publicly for years.
The video ends with Trinidad walking through a door, followed by the words “Coming Soon.” The thumbnail confirms the name she is taking with her: Xelina.
Her caption served as a goodbye and a promise.
“Thank you for allowing me to entertain you as Zelina Vega,” Trinidad wrote. “I hope you join me for this new chapter. It will be my best. -X”
The name had been telegraphed. Trinidad filed a trademark application for “Xelina” on July 20, covering wrestling performances along with a wide range of media and event services.
Trinidad was among the roughly 25 names WWE released on April 24, a group that also included Black. Her 90-day non-compete lapsed this week, making her a free agent along with Kairi Sane, Nikki Cross, Dexter Lumis, Santos Escobar, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley and others.
During her WWE run she became the inaugural Queen of the Ring winner in 2021, held the Women’s United States Championship, and challenged for the Women’s World Championship in front of a home crowd in Puerto Rico. She has not announced where she is going next.
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