Saraya is having a lot of fun as she returns to wrestling training.
After taking the entirety of 2025 off to pursue other interests, Saraya resumed wrestling training last month. She has not announced any plans for an official in-ring return, but she wants to be prepared if that does happen. Whenever she wrestles next, Saraya is hoping to be the best version of herself that she’s ever been, similar to when she was Paige in WWE NXT.
“I’m just trying to get my lick back, you know what I mean? I miss wrestling,” she told MuscleManMalcolm. “I lost my passion for it for a second. I told people months ago I was getting back in the ring in January, and I did just that. I’m having such a great time. I said if I was to ever come back to wrestling, I’ll be better than I was before — NXT Paige.”
MuscleManMalcolm’s interview with Saraya was conducted last weekend at the WrestleVerse Fest convention in Houston, Texas. She remained tight-lipped about her specific plans in and outside of wrestling but teased that 2026 will be a busy year for her.
“2026 is looking really great,” Saraya said. “I have a busy schedule ahead of me, and that’s about it. That’s about it. Yeah, that’s all I’m giving you.”
Saraya and AEW mutually parted ways in March 2025, ending a nearly three-year run that included one reign as AEW Women’s World Champion in 2023. Her returning to training last month sparked fan speculation that we could see her make a WWE return in the 2026 Royal Rumble, but that did not come to fruition.
December 2025 marked eight years since the neck injury that forced Saraya to retire for five years until being cleared to return. She reflected on the anniversary and stated that her neck is now feeling stronger than ever.
Saraya has added fuel to the fire regarding ongoing speculation about her return to pro wrestling by sharing brand-new training footage.
Absent from the ring since an early-October 2024 match on Dynamite, the British wrestler has maintained a low profile since that last match. However, she has also managed to keep the hype around her comeback going by posting training footage on social media.
With the WWE Royal Rumble set for this Saturday, she sparked more speculation about her return by uploading a series of her latest sparring and training sessions on her multiple social media accounts.
The former Paige was seen running the ropes, grappling with her opponents, and practicing her strikes. While not confirmed yet, the post also received several comments from fans asking her to come back.
“She’s been pretty close-lipped about what’s coming next, but I think she obviously took some time away, and I know she’s been doing some great things outside of the wrestling world and staying really busy.”
“I think she’s definitely at a point in her life where whatever she does next, she’s going all in. So I’m really excited to see what that is.”
Saraya shared details of an inappropriate fan encounter from a recent signing on the latest episode of her podcast.
On an episode of Rulebreakers published on Thursday, December 4, Saraya noted that at a recent signing in Chicago, a fan inappropriately touched her. Saraya and her guests were discussing Ariana Grande being recently accosted by a fan at the Wicked: For Good premiere when she said:
“Lately, I feel there’s been an influx of certain fans feeling way too comfortable to be grabbing on females. Just this past weekend in Chicago, a fan decided he wanted to slap my ass three times in a row because he thought it was funny, and security didn’t do a f—king thing.”
She said security later approached her and asked whether she wanted the person escorted out of the building.
She continued:
“They did give me a security guard in the end and he was great, which is fine, but the fans are getting way too comfortable. This is the second time this year a fan has touched me, tried to kiss me, and slap my ass.”
She later added:
“Nine times out of 10, all the fans are great, but you always get at least one per signing that gets a little too comfortable, a little too handsy, or thinks they have this parasocial relationship with you. But I feel like it’s happening to everyone.”
Several wrestlers have also complained about recent fan encounters in recent weeks, including Jey Uso, who recently asked fans not to touch or poke him in public.
Saraya parted ways with AEW in March and has not wrestled in 2025. She noted recently on her podcast that she’s spent the past year exploring projects outside wrestling, but has started to miss it, though she didn’t confirm any plans to return.
Saraya’s comments begin around the 43-minute and 42-second mark of the interview (video cued below):
After taking some time away from wrestling, Saraya is starting to get the urge to return to the ring.
Saraya has not had any matches in 2025. She mutually parted ways with AEW this March and has been focusing on other projects, including releasing a memoir and starting her own podcast. But a return to wrestling could be in the cards for 2026, with Saraya telling the Toronto Sun that she plans to start training again in January.
“I’ve had a wonderful year to kind of, you know, dip my toe into the outside of wrestling world. And it’s been so wonderful, and I have loved it, and I have enjoyed it. But, you know, once you’re a wrestler, you always miss it,” Saraya said. “I am starting to get the bug for it again. Because I went through a stage where I kind of, like, fell out of love with it for a second. And I’m just like, ‘I need to take a break from it.’ And that was the whole goal, you know?
“But I’ve just found, like, this new love for it again. And I’ve found this new passion for it again. I’m going to get into training in January, and we’ll see where that takes me. Because I feel like I do — if I was to ever come back, not saying I am, but if I was to ever come back, I want to be at the top of my game and be wrestling better than I was wrestling back when I was in NXT. So that’s my goal.”
Saraya noted that she’s talked with her friend Natalya about potentially training at the Dungeon. Saraya would absolutely love to make that happen.
“I miss it. I love it,” Saraya said about wrestling. “I think the percentage of me going back is a lot higher now, you know? But we’ll see where it goes. We’ll see where it goes. Who knows what will happen?”
Saraya — the former Paige — said she appreciates when fans show her love and want to see her come back and face some of her former WWE colleagues like AJ Lee. But Saraya does not like to talk about the possibility in interviews because some fans on social media take it the wrong way and think she’s begging for a job.
Outside of wrestling, Saraya loves hosting her “Rulebreakers” podcast. She also mentioned during the Toronto Sun interview that she could end up releasing another book down the line because she still has so much life left to live.
During an emotional appearance on Busted Open Radio this week, Saraya opened up about how much recent fan support has meant to her.
The former Paige was asked if AJ Lee’s return to WWE has inspired her to want her own comeback. She responded by expressing interest in the idea, along with potentially working with Lee on-screen again at some point.
“You know, I’m always going to have that feeling, because WWE is doing amazing things right now,” Saraya said. “And you’re just like, man, I miss being in the locker room. I miss being around people like Nattie. I miss my sisters. You know, I do miss that. And I miss being a part of these things.
“And then when I watched AJ, I’ve watched that over and over again, because she’s my fairy godmother, dude. I love her so much. She was one that kind of took me under her wing when I first came up on the roster, too. And we traveled together and we had the frenemies thing.”
Saraya said, after Lee’s return, there have been a lot of fans on social media voicing that they want her back. That’s especially meaningful to Saraya because she thought fans didn’t like her anymore.
“And my social media has not stopped. It has blown up. I cannot go on there without hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people doing videos being like, ‘Please bring Saraya back, please bring Paige back.’ And I get excited — because I keep forgetting, I feel like people don’t like me anymore,” she said. “And it sounds pretty, you know, insecure and I’m not trying to get sympathy, but it made me really emotional for the past couple of days.
“And I have like shed some tears about it. Because I’m like, ‘Oh my god, people still like me. And they still want me to be around.’ That’s probably the best feeling in the world for me. Like, you know, I get insecure about these things. This world can be a little stressful and you get insecure. And so, yeah, that’s been amazing.
“With AJ, I would love to be her tag partner again or run it back eventually. You know, I’m not saying right away. She needs her moment. Like, people are excited for her to come back. Maybe one day, we’ll see.”
Despite moments of insecurity, Saraya said she does realize that she’s had a great career. Right now, she feels like she’s fallen in love with wrestling again and wants to advance her style in the ring.
“I feel like the past couple of years, I wasn’t fully invested in it as much. But I just found my love for it again,” she said. “And I’m just like, man, this is such an exciting time for wrestling. And I miss it. And I want to get back. I want to be Paige again — like the way she wrestled — the way Paige wrestled in NXT. I want that back, and I want to upgrade her. I’m not going to be crazy, but like I’m going to be — I want to do the new generation style of wrestling.”
If Saraya were to return to WWE competition, it would be her first time wrestling for the company since 2017. She was medically disqualified due to neck issues but remained with WWE in a non-wrestling role until her departure from the promotion in 2022. After that, she joined AEW for a two-plus year run that included a reign with the AEW Women’s World Championship.
Saraya has been medically cleared to return to the ring.
During an appearance on The Sessions with Renee Paquette, the 30-year-old noted that she didn’t receive clearance until October 31, and doctors have said she can start with one match a month.
“When I came in, I didn’t really know what the deal was, I just knew that I was going to be part of something and we were going to build something special here,” Saraya said. “But then when I got there, got the great reaction when I walked out, and I was like, ‘oh my god’ and you can’t put a pro-wrestler out there and tell them that they can’t do anything else.”
“I came to terms with not being able to wrestle anymore and that’s fine, although a couple of years ago I did do some x-rays and they were looking great but I didn’t do the full MRI.”
“I just did the x-rays because I was a little nervous about doing the MRI a couple of years ago so I was just like, okay, they’re looking good, maybe in a couple of years it starts getting better but I’m not going to rush it because Edge was out for like nine years, Stone Cold had that match with Kevin Owens but he didn’t bump much.”
She continued to say that at the time she figured she would be able to work a match similar to Owens vs. Austin at WrestleMania.
“I was like, I could probably pull off doing a Stone Cold match. It was just in my head because in the match, you wouldn’t think that there wasn’t a crazy amount of bumps because the story they told was so fantastic.”
She continued to say that she brought up the idea of wrestling again to Tony Khan, who suggested she could work some tag matches. However, Saraya said if she was going to come back, she would want to have a singles match.
“I remember talking to the doctors and they were like, ‘okay, you can do this, but we’re not going to clear you to take a bump.'”
“I went out there with Britt and we did our own thing. I didn’t ask clearance from the doctor there, I’m going to be honest. He was cool with it, he was just like, ‘please don’t take a bump, you’re not ready to take bumps yet.’ So he was like, ‘if you want to actually have matches, we have to get you completely cleared, that means MRIs, CT scans, everything.'”
Saraya then said she didn’t want to go to a doctor that was associated with wrestling.
“Halloween, perfect day, I went to the doctor here in California, one of the best doctors around. He did a bunch of NFL, NBA, all these huge action stars, celebrities, actors & actresses, and all that fun stuff.”
Saraya said she got x-rays, CT scans, and everything else done on the same day and later met with the doctor to go over the results.
“Then he sat there and went through them all and he was just like, ‘you’re cleared’ and I just burst into tears.”
The doctor told her that the fusions in her neck looked perfect, and said there were no fractures or other issues.
“I was like, let’s talk about paralysis. He said, ‘it’s rare’ and if you get kicked there, you have some cushion now. And if you ever feel like you’re not feeling too well, take some time off. You know your body but I will clear you to get back in the ring again.”
Saraya says the doctor said they could start with one match a month and then gradually start building up.
“Long story short, Halloween is when I got the full clearance. I called my parents, I was crying my eyes out.”
Saraya’s last match was a WWE house show on December 27, 2017. The match had to be stopped early when Saraya was injured after being kicked in the back by Sasha Banks. Saraya continued to talk about texting Banks after being medically cleared to return.
“The first person I texted as well was Mercedes, Sasha. She was one of the first people I texted. All that stuff, that can mentally f**k someone up to end someone’s career.”
“I just said, ‘Hey sis, I just want to let you know since I know this whole thing was tough on you mentally but my doctor just cleared me and told me my neck is 100% ready to go. I haven’t told anyone else but I know this will make you feel good. I’m back, haha.’ And she was over the moon and stuff like that.”
According to a Thursday report from Fightful, Saraya was offered a return to the on-air general manager position by the new WWE creative regime nearly a month after her deal expired in July.
The report also stated the “higher-ups also mentioned to her that if she ever wanted to return to the ring and wrestle, they would make that happen.”
It stated the former Paige got three health checks herself to get clearance to return while WWE didn’t have her checked at all. The Vince McMahon-led regime didn’t have interest in bringing her back and wouldn’t sign off on x-rays to even explore the opportunity.
We have not been able to independently confirm this report and Saraya has yet to comment on it on social media. She made her surprise debut at AEW Dynamite Grand Slam and got physical on Dynamite just over a week ago, indicating some sort of clearance.
Other details from the report include:
She was informed about the WWE non-renewal when the announcement was made publicly, had a “surprisingly low” deal, and that her ability to commit to outside projects was somewhat restricted.
Paul Levesque was reportedly “shocked” her deal wasn’t renewed and his new regime made an effort to keep her in some form or fashion.
“The information we’ve gained is that ultimately the freedom to do outside projects without giving up a cut, and other deal terms led her to signing with AEW,” it read.
Saraya says she never spoke with WWE about wrestling again before she signed with AEW.
The 30-year-old got physical in the ring with Britt Baker on last week’s AEW Dynamite and it was reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that she has been cleared for an in-ring return. WWE medically disqualified her due to neck injuries in 2018 and Saraya noted on a recent Twitch stream that she never spoke with the company about wrestling again after.
“We never had that discussion. I never had that discussion with WWE because they let me go. I’ve been working years to better myself and be healthier and stronger. Me, mentally, I never brought it up because I had this mental block. I want to be as safe as possible. I know what my body can do. Me and WWE never had that discussion about having a match. I never brought it up to them about me potentially wrestling. If I was to talk them about it, I’m sure they would do the research. I wasn’t mentally ready. It still makes me nervous, but I’m way smarter about it. I know what I can and can’t do. I’m not expecting to do six German suplexes off the top. I’m not that wrestler anyway,” Saraya said.
“I’m not looking to bump around like crazy like I did before. I need to make adjustments and be smart about it. I’m very aware of what I can and can’t do,” she continued.
Saraya would also comment on WWE’s involvement in the FIghting With My Family movie.
“I love WWE, I just like the opportunities I’m getting with AEW. The one thing I don’t like is, ‘WWE got you that movie.’ No they didn’t. You know who got me that movie? The Rock. He made that happen. He asked WWE, ‘You can be part of this, but I’m doing this anyway,’ and WWE decided they could make money off of it and put their names on it. The Rock should get all the credit. Without him, there would be no movie. WWE were wonderful, they gave me a lot of opportunities, and I am forever grateful for that. The only downside that made me pick AEW from WWE is I don’t like sitting on my butt and not knowing what I’m doing or if I’m allowed to do certain things. I’m pro-WWE, but I love AEW and I wanted something new and I wanted freedom. That was very important,” Saraya said.
Saraya also revealed that she agreed to terms with AEW about two weeks before making her debut.
“It was like two weeks before because (Chris) Jericho, (Jon) Moxley, and Tony (Khan) were all like, ‘it would be good if you were on Grand Slam in two weeks.’ That’s when it all started. Everything was good, literally until it….I signed literally the day. It was the craziest two weeks.”
So far, Saraya says she’s happy with how the AEW President has taken her ideas into consideration.
“All the ideas I’ve had so far, he’s [Tony Khan] been great and using them. Every week he’s said, ‘I’m not going to be able to take every idea, but I’ll try to make it happen,’ and he has,” she said.
Saraya has reportedly signed a long-term contract with AEW.
According to a report from Fightful Select, AEW sources have indicated that the former Paige signed a three-year deal with the company. It is not clear if that includes option years, however, which are commonplace in AEW contracts. It was also suggested that the amount of money she is set to earn “largely implies that she’ll be wrestling in some capacity.”
Our own Dave Meltzer wrote in the September 26 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Saraya hadn’t been cleared to wrestle as of recently but was hoping to be.
“We were told that she had not been cleared as of very recently, which would explain not touching anyone, but would like to be cleared,” Meltzer wrote.
Whether or not Saraya has been recently cleared for an in-ring return is not known at this time. She officially retired from WWE in 2018 due to neck injuries.
Saraya is advertised to appear on Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite from The Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA.
The main question coming out of Saraya’s AEW debut on Wednesday’s Dynamite Grand Slam was whether or not she could still wrestle following her neck injuries in 2016 and 2017.
The former Paige in WWE debuted Wednesday by running in and backing up Athena & AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm after they were beat down by Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter and Serena Deeb. She didn’t get physical in any form.
“We were told that she had not been cleared as of very recently, which would explain not touching anyone, but would like to be cleared,” Meltzer wrote, noting that she is refereeing for her family’s WAW promotion in a few weeks.
It’s unknown her non-clearance by was her own doctors or AEW’s.
The 30-year-old suffered a major neck injury in June 2016 while in WWE that required surgery. She was cleared over a year later, returning in December 2017. However, she took a kick from Sasha Banks less than two weeks later on a house show which re-injured her neck.
The WWE medical team then refused to clear her, keeping her under contract and using her in various roles until her deal expired this past July. At that point, AEW contacted her and talks began. It’s unknown when the deal between the two sides was finalized.
Saraya (formerly known as Paige in WWE) was “absolutely blown away” by the reaction her AEW debut received.
Saraya made her surprise AEW debut at Dynamite Grand Slam on Wednesday night, chasing off Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Serena Deeb after they had attacked Toni Storm and Athena. It was officially confirmed after her appearance that Saraya has signed a contract with AEW.
On Twitter, Saraya wrote that she couldn’t be happier to be in AEW. She also thanked her boyfriend Ronnie Radke for letting her use his band Falling in Reverse’s song “ZOMBIFIED” as her AEW theme music.
“F*cking WOW! Absolutely blown away by the pop in the stadium and the reception outside of it,” Saraya tweeted. “Been a long journey. Couldn’t be happier to be in @AEW thank you to everyone! and thank you to my babe @RonnieRadke for letting me use his song Zombified! LFG!!”
Fucking WOW! Absolutely blown away by the pop in the stadium and the reception outside of it. Been a long journey. Couldn’t be happier to be in @AEW thank you to everyone! 🥹🥹 and thank you to my babe @RonnieRadke for letting me use his song Zombified! LFG!! ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/9czsEWUcot
Saraya departed WWE this July when WWE decided not to renew her contract. She hasn’t wrestled in nearly five years due to being medically disqualified by WWE because of neck issues.
Saraya didn’t get physical during her AEW debut. In an interview with Renee Paquette that was released last month, Saraya spoke about potentially returning to in-ring action.
“I feel fantastic, I really do feel fantastic,” Saraya said. “I still have the mental block of like, ‘Oh my God, if I was to get in the ring, what if?’ If I was to have to be in the ring, it would be for a really big moment, to wrestle. I’ll do promos here and there, for big companies, but to actually wrestle, it would have to be a really big moment.”
While appearing on the latest episode of The Sessions with Renee Paquette, Saraya-Jade Bevis (formerly known as Paige in WWE) gave an update on her in-ring status.
Saraya announced this June that she would be departing WWE when her contract expired in July. In the statement announcing her departure, Saraya indicated that she would one day compete in the ring again.
Saraya told Paquette that she’s feeling fantastic physically. Saraya said that, if she were to return to the ring, it would be for “a really big moment.”
“I feel fantastic, I really do feel fantastic,” Saraya said. “I still have the mental block of like, ‘Oh my God, if I was to get in the ring, what if?’ If I was to have to be in the ring, it would be for a really big moment, to wrestle. I’ll do promos here and there, for big companies, but to actually wrestle, it would have to be a really big moment. I would love to face Sasha [Banks] again, for real. Because, like, it ended the way it did.”
When Paquette brought up that wrestling is still something that Saraya is excited about, Saraya joked that she’ll have as many retirement matches as Ric Flair
“Always, dude. Always. I’m like Ric Flair. I’m gonna have a ton of retirement matches,” Saraya said. “Ric Flair, I’m going to be your age and be like, ‘My last one guys, I promise.'”
Paquette said it’d be such a cool moment if Saraya were to wrestle again.
“I think so too,” Saraya responded. “I think it’d be really special. We’ll see, though.”
Saraya hasn’t wrestled since December 2017. It was revealed in January 2018 that WWE had medically disqualified her from in-ring competition due to issues with her neck.
Saraya’s final match before being disqualified from the ring was a six-woman tag match with Banks as one of her opponents.
This October, Saraya will return to her family’s World Association of Wrestling promotion for an appearance at their Fightmare IV event. The show is taking place in Norwich, England on Saturday, October 15.
For the first time since she was 18 years old, Saraya-Jade Bevis is no longer WWE’s Paige.
The 29-year-old posted a column to the Player’s Tribune on Wednesday to say goodbye to the company she had been with since 2011.
“The idea of being a WWE Superstar … I’m still blown away by that, still humbled by it,” she says in the article. “Which makes it hard to say goodbye.”
She continued to thank those from the company that she worked with over the years including AJ Lee, the Bellas, Natalya, Tenille Dashwood, and more. She noted that her time in WWE began in an era not far removed from when the women’s division consisted of “Bra and Panties Matches” and similarly-themed storylines.
“I’ll always feel such a kinship with the women of my era, because we worked so damn hard to prove ourselves. To prove that we couldn’t just wrestle — we could wrestle our asses off,” she wrote.
Saraya continued to thank those in executive roles who contributed to the women’s division playing a larger role in the company. These included Paul Levesque, Stephanie McMahon, Dusty Rhodes, Tom Prichard, Norman Smiley, Joey Mercury, and Steve Keirn.
“Nothing was handed to us, but it felt like anything was possible. Want to dress more alternative? If you can get it over, go for it. Want to do a top-rope suplex? If you can pull it off, we won’t hold you back. That was the attitude. We were very fortunate.”
Saraya continued to detail some of the personal problems she faced in 2016-2017 which included a failed drug test, a tumultuous relationship with Alberto Del Rio, and substance abuse. She detailed a conversation with Stephanie McMahon that occurred just before her re-debut in the company in late 2017.
“She gave me the biggest, longest hug. And she said, “Hey — everyone out there loves you. They’re going to be excited to see you. You want to know why? Because you’re a survivor. You SURVIVED. And that means something. So hold your head up, and enjoy this moment. It’s yours.”
Saraya also specifically mentioned being grateful to have the opportunity to give a retirement speech on Raw.
“They even gave me a full segment on Raw to announce my in-ring retirement. I’ll cherish that for the rest of my life. Not just getting to make the announcement like I did, but also the respect it showed on WWE’s part, that they viewed me as worthy of that kind of treatment — the kind normally reserved for an Edge, or a Daniel Bryan, or an HBK, or a Hunter.”
She closed by saying fans can expect to see more of her “down the road.”
“And I want to thank YOU ALL — truly, anyone who might be reading. From my bosses to my coworkers to my friends to my fans. For the past 11 years, you’ve let me live out my dreams. More living to come. I’ll see you down the road.”
Paige will make her first post-WWE appearance at Starrcast V next month.
Starrcast announced that Paige (advertised under the name Saraya) will be appearing at the convention, which will take place on July 29-31 at the Nashville Fairgrounds in Tennessee. Additionally, she will be holding a stage show called ‘Saraya: Turning the Page’.
She’s a wrestler, actress, entrepreneur, former multi-time Champion & is making her first ever post-#WWE appearance.
“She signed a major contract at the age of 18,” Starrcast wrote on Twitter regarding the stage show. “At 21, she became the first #WWENXT & youngest ever Women’s Champion. Her first night on #WWERaw, she won the #WWE Diva’s Championship. Now… what’s next for @RealPaigeWWE?”
Paige announced earlier this month that WWE would not be renewing her contract once it expires on July 7. She had not appeared on WWE television since 2020, and had not wrestled since late 2017, when she suffered a neck injury. She has not been cleared to return to the ring since.
It was announced earlier today that Paige will also be at World Association of Wrestling’s Fightmare IV event in Norfolk on October 15. WAW was founded by Paige’s parents, Ricky and Saraya Knight.
Paige is returning home for her first announced post-WWE appearance.
World Association of Wrestling, which was founded by Paige’s father Ricky Knight and mother Saraya Knight, announced today that Paige will be appearing at their Fightmare IV show in Norwich, England. The show is taking place at the Norfolk Showground on Saturday, October 15.
Paige (real name Saraya-Jade Bevis) is being advertised as “Saraya” for the appearance.
“Look who’s coming home,” WAW wrote. “@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!”
Paige announced earlier this month that she’ll be departing WWE when her contract expires on July 7. Paige teased that the day “will most certainly come” when she’s in the ring again.
Though this is her first post-WWE appearance that’s been announced, Paige said that she doesn’t have a non-compete clause and will be free to appear elsewhere once her WWE contract expires.
Paige hasn’t wrestled since 2017. It was revealed in January 2018 that WWE had medically disqualified her from in-ring competition due to issues with her neck.
Paige said on Twitch that she feels like she’ll be able to compete in the ring again.
“I feel like I can compete again, yeah. 1000 percent,” Paige said.
