On tonight’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Giulia is set to defend the WWE Women’s United States Championship against former champion Zelina Vega. Giulia had defeated Vega on SmackDown before Night of Champions, exactly five weeks ago, and tonight marks her first title defense since.
For Vega, it has been a tough month, and we have seen signs of frustration manifest into newfound aggression for the Puerto Rican. She posted a cryptic video on X (fka Twitter) a few weeks ago, hinting at her mental state following the loss of the Women’s United States Championship.
Last week on SmackDown, Vega approached Giulia regarding a title rematch, only for Kiana James, seemingly the Women’s United States Champion’s new manager, to inform Vega that discussions had been held between herself and Nick Aldis. She stated that the match had been scheduled for August 1, the night before SummerSlam.
However, if Giulia not only defeats but annihilates Vega tonight, the 34-year-old star may quit WWE altogether out of frustration and constant failure. Her time off may be the catalyst to a changed mindset, and she could return as a heel following a considerable hiatus as her character evolves and Triple H figures out how to present her seriously going forward.
Zelina Vega has always been at her best as a smarmy and smug trash talker, with the former Queen being at her most natural and perhaps having the most successful time of her career as a manager to Andrade. This is not to be inferred as an argument for her to be relegated to a managerial role yet again, but just a consideration to be made pertaining to a character shift due to Vega in general being a better fit as a heel.
The women’s division on WWE SmackDown needs improvement, and so does Zelina Vega
During Zelina Vega’s hiatus, the WWE Draft and some NXT call-ups could also improve the SmackDown Women’s Division, which is in desperate need of talent, whether in the mid-card or main event scene. This is especially important since Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss seem to have moved to the tag team division for the foreseeable future.
Alongside new arrivals on SmackDown, Zelina Vega herself could return and be positioned in a fresh and more prominent manner on the brand, or perhaps even move to RAW.
Meanwhile, Triple H must also figure out how to keep Giulia and the Women’s United States Championship relevant in a thin division, especially as they are both constantly compared with the great prominence that the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship has had since its inception, with the contrast only continuing to get starker.
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