It feels like the end of an era in the WWE following the news that the former NXT women’s champion Paige will soon leave the company. The two-time Divas champion, who was the subject of the movie Fighting With My Family, recently announced her last day will be July 7th, at which point she will no longer be employed by Vince McMahon et al. Rather than leaving fans in the dark on the matter, Paige shared the reasons why she’s leaving, and it’s a bit complicated.
Not long after her original announcement on Twitter, Paige revealed on her Twitch stream (via f4wonline.com) some details about her upcoming exit from the WWE. Paige indicated the circumstances surrounding her impending leave of absence are fairly knotty for her, as it wasn’t a mutual decision. In her words:
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.
Paige, who goes by her given name Saraya Bevis online, wanted to make things clear that she didn’t want to leave the WWE, which some fans inferred from her prior message not clearly indicating she was being forced out. At the same time, fans might understand why things are playing out like this, going back to Paige injuring her neck in 2016. She later retired from in-ring action in 2018 due to a neck injury, and performed various non-physical roles for the organization over the years. And it’s fair to say that she hasn’t been fully utilized much at all in the past two years, which is likely a major factor in the WWE’s decision.
After all, if Paige was already medically cleared for an in-ring return within the WWE, she would very likely still be on the roster, but that step seemingly hasn’t happened yet. Despite doctors apparently not being so optimistic about Paige getting back to in-ring action, the superstar noted that she believes she won’t have a non-compete clause to stop her from signing on elsewhere, and that she believes she’s healthy enough to compete if given the opportunity. As she put it:
I feel like I can compete again, yeah. 1000%
Even in her absence, Paige remains one of the more popular women’s superstars in the WWE. If she does get clearance from a doctor to get physical anew, I’m sure the WWE or other organizations will jump at the opportunity to bring her back to TV. Neck injuries have certainly halted the careers of many prominent WWE superstars like Edge and Stone Cold Steve Austin, and yet both performed a match within the company in 2022.
Paige is only 29-years-old, so it’s easy to believe she’ll be back in a wrestling ring in the coming years if given the opportunity, assuming she continues to feel up to it. Perhaps it’ll be back with the WWE, or maybe she’ll find success at AEW or another prominent wrestling organization. Who knows, there might even be enough that happens after all this to justify a sequel to Fighting With My Family!
Paige won’t be in the WWE much longer, but Peacock premium subscribers can enjoy her best matches on the streaming service right now. Hopefully, these next few weeks won't be the last time we see her on the small screen.
