Zelina Vega transformed into Street Fighter’s Juri to participate in the Royal Rumble 2023.
WWE star Zelina Vega brought Street Fighter to the WWE ring last night (Jan. 28) as she transformed herself into Juri Han to participate in the 2023 women’s Royal Rumble. Zelina stunned as the fearsome Juri, entering the Royal Rumble match at 21, and caused a commotion from Street Fighter and wrestling fans alike.
While the commentators struggled to pronounce Juri’s name and balked at the very idea of video games, Street Fighter fans instantly recognized Zelina’s Juri cosplay. What’s more, as she entered Zelina Vega was also revealed to be one of the in-game announcers for Street Fighter 6. Vega will appear in Street Fighter 6 under her real name, Thea Trinidad.
The Real Time Commentary feature in SF6 has seen commentators like Jeremy “Vicious” Lopez, Aru, Tasty Steve, and James Chen joining the list of voices that can narrate your Street Fighter gameplay. Vega joins the roster as the first women commentator.
Gaming at the Royal Rumble
The Street Fighter 6 tie-in with Zelina Vega capped off a trio of video game and streaming-related happenings at the Royal Rumble. First, Logan Paul, a controversial influencer and part-time wrestler, turned heads with an incredible spot in the men’s Royal Rumble. During the match, an incredible moment saw him collide with opponent Ricochet in mid-air.
The spot was a highlight of another strong performance from Logan in the Rumble. Logan now looks primed to head to Wrestlemania as one of the main draws of that card.
Elsewhere in wrestling and gaming-related news, the Royal Rumble once again promoted the upcoming release of WWE 2k23. The WWE and 2K Sport’s annual wrestling game is set for release later this year. However, some of the most advertised characters in the game are Logan Paul and rapper Bad Bunny, who both featured prominently in WWE in 2022.
The intersection between influencer culture, wrestling, and gaming erodes every year. And it’s hard to deny there isn’t a considerable overlap between wrestling fans and gamers. These crossovers, Like the Zelina and Juri cosplay, are here to stay. But at least if you’re not a Logan Paul or Bad Bunny fan, in 2023, there’ll be a game where you can hit them with a steel chair.