"Naruto is the WWE of anime" - 32-year-old star reveals how she explained popular show to Vince McMahon
A WWE Superstar recently recalled the time she had to explain her favorite anime series to Vince McMahon so she could convince him to let a voice actor from the show work on her Royal Rumble entrance.
Vince McMahon was reportedly backstage for last night's edition of WWE RAW in Boston, MA. John Cena returned to the promotion, and the 77-year-old was rumored to be backstage visiting the 45-year-old. Vince McMahon resigned from the company last July but returned in January after being unanimously elected as Executive Chairman of the Board.
Meanwhile, it is widely known Zelina Vega loves anime, especially the Naruto series, and recently hosted the Crunchy Roll Anime Awards. Speaking on the I Hear Voices podcast, the 32-year-old detailed her conversation with Vince McMahon and said that she was able to get him to understand anime by relating it to characters in professional wrestling.
“The way I had to explain Madara [from the anime Naruto] to Vince was my favorite thing in the world. I told him, well, I want Neil Kaplan [English voice of Madara] to do my entrance for the Royal Rumble. Vince was like, why? Well, he is the voice of Madara Uchiha. ‘Who’s that?‘ I was like, OK. Do you know what Crunchyroll is? He’s like ‘a sushi, yes.‘ … Roll back. So, Crunchyroll is like the Netflix of anime."
She continued:
"He’s like ‘okay, I get that.‘ So Naruto is like the WWE of anime. He’s like ‘okay, I like Naruto. This is good.‘ Madara is kind of like what Paul Heyman is to Roman! He was like ‘okay, we need it.‘ Speaking his language, you know," said Zelina Vega. (H/T 411Mania)
🥰
Queen Zelina @ZelinaVegaWWE is slaying this look at @Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
Look How Beautiful and Gorgeous she's looking 🤍
Queen zelina's presence makes this anime awards night more spectacular 😍🥰
#ZelinaVega #QueenZelina #AnimeAwards2023
@ZelinaVegaWWE https://t.co/SKNqKojJTD
Zelina Vega praises actor she convinced Vince McMahon to let voice her entrance at WWE Royal Rumble
Neil Kaplan is the English voice of Madara in the Naruto anime series and will also be featured in the upcoming WWE 2K23 video game.
Kaplan took to Twitter today to send a motivational message and wondered what his followers were grateful for today. Zelina responded and said she was grateful to have Neil's voice immortalized in the upcoming video game. Kaplan's voice can be heard during Vega's introduction, as shown in the tweet below.
"I’m grateful that I got YOUR voice immortalized in my music forever in @WWEgames.. “ALL HAIL THE QUEEN. QUEEN ZELINA.” #MadaraUchiha," tweeted Zelina Vega.
I’m grateful that I got YOUR voice immortalized in my music forever in @WWEgames .. “ALL HAIL THE QUEEN. QUEEN ZELINA.” #MadaraUchiha twitter.com/nekap/status/1… https://t.co/W1rnauaY5J
Zelina Vega is currently the manager of the Legado Del Fantasma on SmackDown but may be tempted to get back into the ring again. WWE announced that the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments would be taking place on May 27. Zelina won the inaugural Queen's Crown tournament and may want to defend the throne this year.
Do you think Zelina Vega can win the Queen of the Ring tournament? Sound off in the comments section below.