Xelina has candidly addressed the emotional toll of the final stretch of her WWE run, acknowledging that she was “very much” miserable toward the end of her time in the company.
The wrestler, formerly known in WWE as Zelina Vega, discussed her current outlook during an episode of the ZELVX and CHARLIE GIRL podcast. The conversation came after Xelina’s recent return to the ring, which marked her first match since leaving WWE earlier in 2026.
During the discussion, Charlie remarked that she was pleased to see Xelina looking both healthy and happy. Xelina said she had heard similar observations from others, prompting her to consider how noticeably different she may have appeared before her departure.
“A lot of people said that I look really happy and I’m like, ‘Did I just look miserable before?’ I mean, to be honest, I could see that because towards the end, I very much was miserable.”
For more background on this topic, read Roman Reigns Reflects On Veteran Access In WWE And His Responsibility To The Next Generation.
It is a brief statement, but it offers a direct look at Xelina’s state of mind as her WWE tenure came to a close. She did not attach specific details, incidents, or individuals to that unhappiness in the comments. Instead, her remarks focused on the contrast between how she feels now and the version of herself that audiences had seen in the latter part of her WWE run.
WWE Exit Came Earlier This Year
Xelina’s departure from WWE was reported in April 2026. Her final match under the WWE banner came against Jordynne Grace on Main Event, bringing an end to a run in which she had worked across multiple levels of the company’s programming.
For much of her WWE career, Xelina was known for the presence and verbal confidence she brought to television. She initially made a major impression as a manager, particularly through her association with Andrade, before expanding her role as an active in-ring performer. Over time, she became a familiar face on WWE programming, balancing matches with the personality-driven work that had first made her stand out.
Her time in WWE also included shifts in presentation, alliances, and opportunities that placed her in different parts of the women’s division. The public nature of wrestling means performers are often expected to project confidence, energy, and excitement regardless of what may be happening behind the scenes or in their personal lives. Xelina’s comments underline that the image viewers see on screen does not always fully reflect a wrestler’s experience away from the cameras.
Her choice to speak openly, even in a limited way, is notable because she did not attempt to rewrite the period as entirely positive. There can be pressure after a departure for a wrestler either to avoid the topic altogether or to turn the entire experience into a simple narrative. Xelina instead offered a measured answer: people noticed she appears happier now, and she agreed that the unhappiness near the end had been real.
Back in the Ring at HOG Fall Out
Earlier in September, Xelina returned to wrestling at HOG Fall Out. In that appearance, she defeated Brittnie Brooks and Shayna Baszler. The match represented an important step following her WWE exit, both because it put her back in active competition and because it gave fans an opportunity to see her perform in a new chapter of her career.
Returning after a major company departure can bring a mixture of anticipation and pressure. Wrestlers must reconnect with the audience, adjust to a new environment, and establish what comes next while the previous chapter is still fresh in fans’ minds. In Xelina’s case, the response to her return appears to have extended beyond the result itself. People close to her and members of the audience have noticed a difference in how she carries herself.
That distinction matters. A wrestling return is often evaluated through wins, losses, future bookings, or immediate momentum. Yet Xelina’s own comments suggest that simply being in a better emotional place is a meaningful part of the story. Her victory over Brooks and Baszler was the in-ring headline from HOG Fall Out, but her remarks provide broader context for why being back in the ring may feel different this time.
There is no indication in her comments that she is trying to diminish the work she accomplished in WWE. The emphasis was on the difficult feelings that developed toward the end. Those are separate points: a performer can have meaningful accomplishments in a promotion while also reaching a point where the day-to-day experience becomes deeply unhappy.
Acknowledging the Feeling of Failure
Xelina has also spoken elsewhere about experiencing what she described as a “weird feeling of failure” following her WWE release. That reaction adds another layer to her newer comments about happiness and misery.
Being released by a major promotion can create a difficult transition for any performer, even one with an established name, television experience, and a devoted audience. The end of a run may come with uncertainty about the next opportunity, while the personal impact can be more complicated than the professional record alone suggests. A wrestler may understand intellectually that a release is part of an unpredictable industry while still feeling disappointment, loss, or self-doubt.
The phrase “weird feeling of failure” captures that tension. It does not necessarily mean Xelina views her career as a failure, nor does it erase the work she did in WWE. Rather, it reflects the emotional weight that can accompany the end of a high-profile job. Her acknowledgment that she was miserable toward the end shows that departure-related emotions are rarely one-dimensional. Relief and sadness can exist at the same time. A sense of freedom can arrive alongside disappointment.
For fans, the comments also offer a reminder to be careful about reducing a wrestler’s circumstances to a single question of whether they are booked, released, signed, or winning. Those are important professional markers, but they do not tell the complete story of a person’s well-being. Xelina’s answer came from an observation about her appearance and happiness, not from a detailed discussion of match results or career strategy.
What Comes Next for Xelina
At present, Xelina’s September match at HOG Fall Out stands as her return to in-ring action following her WWE departure. Her win over Brittnie Brooks and Shayna Baszler gave her a successful result in that first post-WWE appearance, while her podcast comments have offered a clearer sense of how she is approaching this stage of her career personally.
She has not used the remarks in question to outline a detailed roadmap, announce a long-term destination, or explain every reason she felt unhappy near the end of WWE. That uncertainty should be respected. The available comments are personal reflections, not a comprehensive account of her departure or a statement assigning blame.
What is clear is that Xelina recognizes the change others are seeing in her. When told that she looks good and happy, she did not brush the comment aside. She connected it to a period when she says she was visibly and genuinely struggling, then acknowledged that the contrast now makes sense.
That honesty may resonate with many fans because it is not framed as a dramatic declaration. It is a straightforward admission that the final phase of one chapter was difficult. With her in-ring return now underway, Xelina appears to be moving forward from that experience with a renewed sense of happiness that those around her have already begun to notice.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.