Paige (real name Saraya-Jade Bevis) recently announced that her WWE contract is set to expire in early July and that she’ll be officially leaving the promotion. The former Divas Champion and SmackDown General Manager has already teased getting back in the ring for the first time since her neck injuries forced her to retire back in late 2017 and has since been booked for a pair of big appearances. The first is that she’s heading back to her families promotion, World Association of Wrestling, in Norfolk, England and the announcement is teasing her doing something beyond simply making an appearance.
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“@RealPaigeWWE will be at #FightmareIV, stepping back into a WAW ring for the first time in over a decade! What role will she play in the show? Stay tuned to find out!” the announcement read.
The second announcement came on late Monday night when it was revealed she’d be appearing at Starrcast V in Nashville from July 29-31. That weekend will also include WWE’s SummerSlam event at Nissan Stadium and Ric Flair’s Last Match at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.
Shortly after her announcement, Paige hosted a Twitch stream and confirmed her WWE departure was the company’s decision, not her’s. She explained, “I’m appreciative of WWE. I really am. They helped me so much they got me a therapist when I had drinking and alcohol issues. They kept me a long time even after my neck surgery, sitting on my ass. I felt like I had so much left to give there as someone who can cut a decent promo and do a managerial role. It is what it is…WWE doesn’t want to re-sign me. It’s not my decision. I don’t want anyone to think it was my decision to walk away,”
They weren’t using me to my full potential, that’s for sure. It’s fair. Why do they [need to] employ me to not do very much for them. There is opportunities I could have done. I think they just want to focus on people who are wrestling,” she later added. Following her retirement announcement in April 2018, WWE used her as SmackDown’s general manager, the manager for the Kabuki Warriors tag team and a panelist on the now-canceled WWE Backstage. Stay tuned for more updates on Paige’s future in the pro wrestling business!
