Road Dogg denies WWE "buried" 32-year-old SmackDown star

Road Dogg worked as WWE SmackDown's lead writer for more than two years before stepping down from the role in 2019. During a recent podcast episode, the Hall of Famer defended his booking of Zelina Vega.

Vega performed as an in-ring competitor and Andrade's on-screen manager when Road Dogg oversaw the blue brand's creative direction. On the October 2, 2018, episode of SmackDown, Andrade and Vega lost a mixed tag team match against Carmella and R-Truth.

Speaking on Oh You Didn't Know?, Road Dogg dismissed talk that the creative team "buried" Vega during that time period. He also referenced how the 32-year-old challenged Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley at Backlash in May:

"I'll say it again, yeah, we really scr*wed her over, didn't we? She worked a pay-per-view in Puerto Rico with her flag out. You know what I mean? Come on, guys. What are we talking about here? I don't know, I'm the blurred line because in my real life I work in wrestling (…) That [rumors that WWE buried Vega] is not true and it's not a fair evaluation. She had a title shot in her own country." [38:52 – 39:37]

Vega lost to Ripley in front of her adoring fans in Puerto Rico. Since then, she has continued to feature prominently on WWE television alongside Rey Mysterio and the rest of the Latino World Order (LWO).

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Zelina Vega wants to face Rhea Ripley in WWE again

Five months on from their Backlash encounter, Zelina Vega is keen to go one-on-one with Rhea Ripley in another Women's World Championship match.

Rey Mysterio, Santos Escobar, and the returning Carlito defeated Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits at Fastlane last week. Following the show, Vega tweeted a warning to Ripley:

"From your mouth to God's ears. Just need that one chance.. Because I BEEN ready. Some may have forgotten about Backlash/ PR [Puerto Rico] but I sure haven’t. The #LWO sure hasn't.."

Vega has not competed in a match since unsuccessfully challenging IYO SKY for the WWE Women's Championship on the August 25 episode of SmackDown.

What are your thoughts on Zelina Vega's booking? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Please credit Oh You Didn't Know? and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.