Saraya has arrived in the AEW to fulfill her wish of returning to the squared circle after a long hiatus of five years. Formerly known as Paige she quickly rose up the ranks of the WWE Divas division in the past. Those who have been following her, do know that she even became the Divas Champion on her first night on the main roster, making her the first and only superstar to hold the NXT and Divas title at the same time.
However, multiple of health issues followed by a neck concussion resulted in Saraya’s retirement from in-ring action in the WWE. She was sitting out of WWE television for a long time before finally learning that it was time for her to leave the company.
Fightful Select has recently reported that Saraya found out about her WWE release when she made a public announcement regarding it on June 10th. Then her contract actually expired on July 7th when she became a free agent. The decision to not renew her WWE deal was ultimately made by former WWE chairman Vince McMahon and the former WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis.
Saraya Fka Paige In WWE Recreates 2007 Movie Character For Halloween
At the time of her exit, the United Kingdom native was getting paid a lot less than most would think while her outside projects were also facing some restrictions. Sooner though the scenario changed Saraya left and almost at the same time McMahon, along with Laurinaitis, had to leave the WWE due to the hush-money investigation.
Saraya Fka Paige In WWE Medically Cleared To Make In-Ring Return
Triple H took initiative to bring back Saraya to WWE
Within a month of the departure, WWE’s new regime led by Triple H offered Saraya the role of General Manager on TV. WWE reportedly also offered her the chance to return to the squared circle if she ever wanted to. Rumors suggested that WWE even contacted multiple doctors to get the bright talent cleared. However, that may not be true as WWE didn’t even have her checked by any doctor.
Moving on, it was also noted in the report how the former Paige took the initiative to get herself cleared for competition,
“Saraya actually went through three extensive health checks to gain clearance for an in-ring return herself. We’re even told that WWE wasn’t interested in bringing her back prior to the new regime, and wouldn’t sign off on X-Rays to have her examined, and that the case was closed as far as they were considered.”
Ultimately, Saraya opted to go to AEW leaving the deal offered by the WWE as she would be free to feature in any kind of outside projects than wrestling. She had signed a three-year deal with the company owned by Tony Khan before officially debuting on AEW Dynamite Grand Slam episode.
