WWE Superstar Zelina Vega recently shared the fascinating and humorous story of how she had to explain the world of anime to Vince McMahon using WWE analogies in order to get his approval for a key part of her “Queen Zelina” entrance theme. Speaking on the “Ring The Bell” podcast, Vega detailed the unique conversation she had with the former WWE Chairman.
During her run as the 2021 Queen’s Crown tournament winner, Vega wanted to incorporate the voice of Neil Kaplan, a renowned voice actor and friend of hers known for portraying the powerful villain Madara Uchiha in the English dub of the popular anime series Naruto.
“I had to explain to Vince why I wanted him on the track. That was a whole interesting conversation,” Vega recalled. “I was literally like, ‘Okay, do you know, like, what what Crunchyroll is?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, it’s sushi.’ And I was like, ‘Of course, yeah.’”
Faced with this challenge, Vega broke down the concept for McMahon using comparisons he would understand. “I was like, ‘Okay, Crunchyroll is, like, the Netflix of anime.’ And he was just like, ‘Okay, I get it,’” she continued. “And I was like, ‘Okay, Naruto is, like, the WWE of this.’ And he was like, ‘Okay.’”
For the final piece of the analogy, she connected the character Kaplan voices to a figure McMahon knew well. “And I was like, ‘Madara is kind of like what Paul Heyman is to Roman [Reigns].’ He’s like, ‘Okay, we need it.’ I was like, ‘We do need it.’ So that’s how that happened,” Vega explained. This creative explanation successfully bridged the gap, and Kaplan’s voice proclaiming “All Hail the Queen” became a memorable part of her entrance. Vega also noted she had similar struggles explaining her anime-inspired “Todoroki” half-red, half-white hairstyle to McMahon.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Ring The Belle with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.