The Real Reason WWE Released Zelina Vega and Aleister Black

WWE just turned a real-life marriage into an on-screen pairing. Zelina Vega and Aleister Black are now working together on SmackDown, and yes, this is their second tour through the company. If you missed why they were both out the first time, their exits could not have been more different: hers blew up headlines, his was a quiet corporate phone call.

Why WWE cut Zelina Vega the first time

Back in late 2020, WWE decided its wrestlers could not make money on third-party platforms. That meant no Twitch streaming, no Cameo videos, no setting up an OnlyFans to sell cosplay or lingerie shoots. Vega had a Twitch channel and made her stance public. She even launched an OnlyFans and talked about wrestlers banding together to form a union. Minutes after she posted the tweet 'I support unionization' on November 13, 2020, WWE terminated her contract.

The backlash was immediate and loud. Fans were furious, outlets covered it for days, and the whole thing read like a company memo that union talk would not fly in Stamford.

How Vega responded

Vega did not walk any of it back. She kept streaming on Twitch, picked up entertainment gigs, and made it very clear she was not done with wrestling.

'My first love is wrestling and I am not giving that up. I am sad and I am completely heartbroken. Obviously, this is not the last you are gonna see of me... If I go down as someone who stood up for themselves, so be it.'

On July 2, 2021, she surprised everyone by returning to WWE. A few months later, she became the first winner of WWE's Queen's Crown tournament and went on to capture the women’s tag team titles. Not a bad rebound.

Where Vega is now

These days she is mostly hovering in the midcard, and I still do not think WWE has fully used what she can do. She even had a short run as the Women’s United States Champion before losing the title to Giulia, who holds it now. The interesting wrinkle: she is currently paired on-screen with her husband, leaning into a darker, more sinister vibe. It fits.

How Aleister Black’s first WWE run ended

Black’s exit was much more straightforward. On June 2, 2021, he was released and told it was due to budget cuts. He said as much on Twitch (under his Tommy End moniker). That same round of cuts also hit Braun Strowman, Lana, Murphy, Santana Garrett, and Ruby Riott. At the time, reporting suggested this was not about trimming the company down to prep for a sale; it was simply cost-cutting.

The Dutch star landed in AEW as Malakai Black, then made his way back to WWE (now under the TKO umbrella) on April 25, 2025. He is still one of the smoothest strikers and most compelling promo guys around, but the real push has been slow to arrive. Recently, he has come up short in two United States Championship open challenges thanks to Damian Priest getting involved.

The quick version

• Nov 13, 2020: Vega tweets 'I support unionization' and is released about 10 minutes later amid WWE's crackdown on third-party platforms like Twitch, Cameo, and OnlyFans.
• Jun 2, 2021: Black is released, told it is budget cuts; same day as Strowman, Lana, Murphy, Santana Garrett, and Ruby Riott.
• Jul 2, 2021: Vega returns to WWE.
• Late 2021: Vega wins the inaugural Queen's Crown tournament and later the women’s tag team titles.
• 2025: Vega has a brief Women’s United States Title reign before dropping it to current champ Giulia.
• Apr 25, 2025: Black returns to WWE after a run in AEW as Malakai Black.
• Now: Vega and Black are aligned on SmackDown with a darker presentation; Black has twice missed out on the U.S. Title after Damian Priest interference.

Point is, WWE now has a married duo with a cohesive look and a built-in story. If creative actually commits, there is a lot to play with here. Let them cook.