5 things fans may not know about Zelina Vega's stable in WWE
One of the highlights of WWE RAW in recent times has been Zelina Vega. An excellent manager and mouthpiece, she has elevated the careers of Andrade and Angel Garza. The trio have been a bickering yet effective stable on Monday nights, with a tag team title run a distinct possibility in the near future for Garza and Andrade in WWE.
While Garza's undeniable charisma has invoked comparisons with the late great Eddie Guerrero, Andrade stands out for his excellent in-ring work. The latter might not have yet reached main event status that his work rate deserves, but the association with Vega and potential great matches ensures that 'El Idolo' would be in the thick of things.
Garza, meanwhile, is extremely entertaining with his 'sleazeball' gimmick - particularly in segments involving Charly Caruso in WWE. One great thing about Vega's stable is that they have not been positioned as evil foreigners, which increases the mileage of the act. Austin Theory's short-lived run with the group never looked like a good fit.
There are other wrestlers on the WWE roster that each of the three seem to be a natural fit with, primarily due to the real-life relationships that they have. This stable has been a breath of fresh air, considering the fact that almost all others Luchadors in the company have been positioned as high-flying spot artists - Vega's men have been given some psychology to work with.
This list takes a look at five interesting facts about Zelina Vega, Andrade and Angel Garza.
#1. The trio's previous incarnations before WWE
Both Andrade and Angel Garza come from distinguished Mexican wrestling families whereas Zelina Vega was born in New York City. Vega's real name is Thea Trinidad and her family had no association with wrestling except for the fact that they were casual viewers.
Inspired by Rey Mysterio, she began competing at local promotions under the name of Divina Fly, Snookie Fly and later, Rosita. She couldn't catch a break for a while before getting noticed by Tommy Dreamer in 2010 and getting recommendations to major wrestling companies.
Andrade is a third-generation superstar and made his professional wrestling debut in 2003. His grandfather Jose Andrade wrestled as 'El Moro' and his father as 'Brillante'. This led to Andrade using the ring name 'Brillante Jr' in honour of his father. Additionally, he also wrestled as 'Guerrero Azteca' before eventually coming up with his most famous moniker 'La Sombra'. As 'La Sombra' or 'The Shadow', Andrade had an eight year stay in Mexican promotion CMLL before joining the WWE.
Angel Garza hails from the Garza wrestling family which includes his grandfather 'El Ninja', his uncles Hector and Humberto Garza, in addition to current WWE Superstar Humberto Carrillo. He initially went by the name 'El Hijo del Ninja' meaning 'Son of the Ninja', and had stints in AAA and other Mexican promotions for a decade before signing with the WWE.