Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors: Latest on Zelina Vega, AJ Styles, and More

Credit: WWE.com

Zelina Vega is on her way back to WWE, but where will she pop up on first?

That topic dominates the discussion in this week's collection of wrestling rumor and innuendo.

Joining Vega's return to the company that released her six months ago is a look at who WWE wants cheered and booed on television (and if it reflects the action in the ring), as well as an update on the location for All Elite Wrestling's Full Gear pay-per-view in November.

The return of Zelina Vega to WWE, as reported by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select on May 13, left fans wondering exactly where the longtime manager of Andrade would pop up.

Will it be on NXT or could she head right back to the main roster as if nothing happened? If you guessed "main roster," you are correct, according to Steve Carrier of Ringside News.

There are plenty of different options for Vega, be it as an in-ring worker or back as a manager. Don't be surprised if she pops up alongside real-life husband Aleister Black, who recently returned to television with an enigmatic new persona.

Regardless of what she does, Vega is a talented performer with the gift of gab and an on-screen presence that made her one of the more valuable members of the Raw roster just a year ago, even if WWE didn't see it at the time.

That she is being brought back into the fold after a rather public split from WWE last November indicates that someone in the company realizes it and is keen to capitalize on her talents for the betterment of the product.

Despite AJ Styles working as a babyface in his match against Elias on Monday's Raw, fans attending the ThunderDome were told to boo him, according to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio, (h/t Jeffrey Harris of 411Mania.com).

It is further evidence of the disconnect between WWE and its fans. Here's a guy, already beloved and respected for his in-ring work over the last two decades, clearly working a babyface style but being booed by the audience at the direction of the company.

Yes, we get that The Phenomenal One is a heel and his tag team with Omos is meant to provide opposition for the team of Randy Orton and Riddle eventually. 

If he is battling a guy like Elias, though, is it really a bad thing to let the fans cheer the lesser of two villains Or instead of dictating who is supposed to be in what role, why not let the audience to tell you what it wants.

Of course, that's a sentiment fans have been repeating since the Ruthless Aggression Era, so it's likely to fall on the same deaf ears. But you cannot fault them for wanting to express themselves at a time when the company is as emotionless as ever, particularly on Monday nights.

Sapp noted AEW will return to the road for its Full Gear pay-per-view, with the show scheduled to take place in the historic wrestling city of St. Louis on November 6.

The report added that Rampage, the new AEW show that will debut this August on TNT, will air from the city the night before.

This is great news for the company. It will return to the road in July for a few episodes of Dynamite and while the passionate and loyal fans in Jacksonville, Florida have helped the overall presentation of the shows, having fresh faces in the stands is certainly appealing.

Full Gear is one of the company's premier events and just last year, Darby Allin upset Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship while Jon Moxley successfully defended the AEW world title against his current tag team partner Eddie Kingston.