WWE crowned a new champion on SmackDown ahead of Night of Champions as Zelina Vega lost the Women’s United States Championship to Giulia. However, the decision came under criticism from wrestling veteran Vince Russo, who questioned the motive behind putting the title on Zelina in the first place.
SmackDown before Night of Champions featured three title matches. While the Street Profits vs. The Wyatt Sicks for the WWE Tag Team Championship ended in a DQ, Tiffany Stratton was able to retain her title against Nia Jax. However, the same wasn’t the case with Zelina Vega, who lost the Women’s United States Championship to Giulia. Vega’s title reign came to an end after just weeks, during which she put the gold on the line just once.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s BroDown, Vince Russo questioned Zelina Vega’s title run, noting that she did not gain anything from it:
“Zelina Vega was the US Champion. In my mind, they put the belt on her because she needed something, and they put the belt on her to get her over. What happens is, four weeks later, they take the belt off of her, and she’s now at the same place she was before she ever got the belt. I don’t understand.”
The former WWE writer added that Chelsea Green was very entertaining but lost the Women’s US Title to Vega, who did nothing with it:
“They took the belt off Chelsea Green to put it on her. Chelsea was very entertaining. She’s got the belt for four weeks, and they take it off already. That didn’t escalate the character.” [From 29:49 onwards]
Fans were also puzzled by WWE’s booking of Zelina Vega’s title reign. However, many have high hopes for Giulia and expect her to hold the gold for a longer period.
If you use the quotes from this article, please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription and embed the video.
alt=”Vivek Sharma” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Arsh Das