Saraya previously known as Paige used to be huge star power in the WWE, but she was left with the only choice of retiring to in-ring competition in 2017. Since then, she had to mostly sit out of WWE television amid the COVID-19 pandemic days. She was utilized in relevant other roles for one-off occasions but no wrestling capacity was reserved for her for almost five years.
Things changed for good after the first-ever NXT Women’s Champion left the company WWE in July after the company decided not to renew her contract for some reason. She then made her All Elite Wrestling debut during ‘Dynamite: Grand Slam by the name of Saraya to be a trending name around the pro-wrestling circuit.
Then on the latest episode of AEW Dynamite, Saraya got physical for the first time since signing with the AEW and December 2017. After the women’s Trios match, she went after Britt Baker, D.M.D. The two exchanged punches toward each other. Britt retreated from the ring but her ally Rebel ended up receiving a Superkick from the former WWE Superstar.
In a big update, while speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez noted that the latest name on the AEW roster has been medically cleared for in-ring action.
“Clearly, Saraya has been cleared because she’s in there brawling. Yeah, so wiped everybody out, they stood tall and that was the end of the segment.”
WWE’s Renee Young Possibly Signing With AEW Following Bestie Saraya?
Saraya medically cleared by a former WWE doctor
It has been reported that the doctor who cleared Saraya for action is Dr. Michael Sampson, who is currently AEW’s ringside physician. Sampson has previously worked for WWE in that same position and now ensures the safety of the AEW performers on a weekly basis. That being said, it’s just a matter of time before the UK-born wrestler will be back for an in-ring contest, sooner than later.
As noted above, the former Paige had to retire due to neck and back injuries back in 2018. Afterward, she served as a general manager on WWE Smackdown. Once she was done with that TV role, she became the host and analyst on the WWE Backstage series on FOX but that show was also canceled.
Since other retired wrestlers such as Bryan Danielson and Edge had overcome neck injuries before making in-ring returns, Saraya has been very hopeful about her own return to in-ring capacity and she’s finally successful in her mission upon arriving at the AEW.
