Tag: Saraya-Jade Bevis

Former WWE star Paige gives update on potential in-ring return

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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.

WWE made the decision not to renew Saraya’s contract when it expired earlier this year.

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.

Paige says goodbye to WWE: ‘You’ve let me live out my dreams’

Posted on by Ian Carey

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.”