Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Zelina Vega Pays Touching Tribute To Her Late Father After Winning U.S. Championship

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Rick Ucchino | Last updated May 2, 2025 5:16 PM ET

Nearly nine years after her first match with the company, Zelina Vega is finally a champion in WWE.

The Queens native captured the WWE Women's United States Championship when she defeated Chelsea Green last Friday night on SmackDown. You could see it in her eyes the moment the referee's hand counted the three, just how much that victory meant to her. We now know that it meant a great deal to her entire family as well.

Vega returned home to New York this week and paid a visit to the 9/11 Memorial that stands as a forever tribute to the more than 2,700 people who lost their lives there in the September 11 terror attacks of 2001.

Zelina was able to place her Women's United States Championship belt next to the name of her late father, Michael Angel Trinidad, who was working on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center on the day of the attack.

Her touching tribute was captured on video, as was the FaceTime call she made to her mother. Vega posted the moment on Instagram account as an honor to the man who helped cultivate her love of professional wrestling.

"Finally. I’m so honored to have gotten the opportunity to share this moment with my Dad. The person my brother and I went to WWE events with as kids, why the journey started and the person that fuels the fire to keep fighting every day. I love you Dad. This is just the beginning."Zelina Vega on Instagram