Zelina Vega Talks WWE Backlash Pop: 'I Just Want To Be What Rey Mysterio Was For Me'

Backlash turned out to be a very profitable and popular endeavor for WWE. While it became the highest-grossing and most-viewed of all Backlash events, it may also be the loudest, as the crowd in San Juan, Puerto Rico filled the arena with thunderous ovations throughout the entire show. One of the biggest pops occurred during the introduction of Zelina Vega, who is of Puerto Rican descent. As Vega held up the Puerto Rican flag, tears welled up in her eyes. Her emotions were then deepened by the deafening cheers she received from the live audience. During a recent interview with Uproxx Sports, Vega explained what the moment meant to her.

"I take that with such pride because it's representation, not just for Latinos, but for the women as well to have somebody to look up to, somebody that relates to us in so many different ways," she said. "It's cool to have those moments where you have people saying you're an inspiration because I just want to be what Rey Mysterio was for me growing up."

Mysterio, of course, remains one of WWE's most beloved superstars of all time. While Vega grew up admiring him, she now has the opportunity to work alongside Mysterio in the newly reformed incarnation of the Latino World Order (LWO). At Backlash, Vega challenged Rhea Ripley for the "SmackDown" Women's Championship. She may have fallen short in her championship pursuit, but the response she garnered from San Juan proved to be much more valuable to her.

"The Rock always said, (WWE has) the most electrifying fans in sports entertainment, but I never really understood what he meant fully until I experienced it while I was in the ring and felt that electricity from the fans. This is what he meant."