Saraya, FKA Paige, could be set for a huge WWE homecoming (Picture: AEW)
WWE fans are on red alert after Saraya confirmed she has left rivals All Elite Wrestling.
The 32-year-old British superstar, who made her name as Paige in WWE before making a sensational in-ring return as part of AEW in late 2022, has now revealed she is a free agent after partying ways with Tony Khan’s company.
She stressed there is ‘no bad blood’ between her and AEW – but it was time to move on.
As shared by Entertainment Weekly, she says in the first episode of Rulebreakers With Saraya later this week: ‘I’m here to tell you that me and AEW’s relationship has come to an end.
‘I had an amazing time there. There’s no bad blood between us. I had such a magical time.’
The news has put WWE fans on notice, with plenty of people urging her to ‘come home’ in whatever role possible.
As Paige, the British star became a Divas Champion (Picture: WWE)
‘A WWE return would be lit. Even if its in a managerial role or something. The pop would be MASSIVE,’ wrote. @EvilGeniusRebeL, while fellow fan Gabriel Salazar added on X: ‘[Triple H] it’s time to bring Paige back home!! WWE is where she belongs.’
And @CrimsonGuardFan agreed: ‘Come home to WWE, please! It would be amazing to see you mix it up with familiar faces from your past there and all the new era talent!’
Others pointed out that Saraya – whose life story was made into Hollywood film Fighting With My Family – could recreate history by returning on the Raw after WrestleMania next month, which will mirror her main roster debut 11 years ago.
‘#WWERAW After WrestleMania 41,’ suggested @ItsWrestleWorld, as @BlessedBobby_ said: ‘Raw after Wrestlemania omg. History is repeating itself just over a decade later.’
‘Imagine a Paige WWE return. Wrestlemania comeback for a feud with Rhea Ripley – it is after all, your house,’ added @SpookyRampaiger.
Saraya is one of the main pioneers of the women’s wrestling revolution (Picture: AEW)
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In her first podcast episode this week, the former Divas Champion explains how she decided to move on from AEW after struggling to see where she ‘fit in’.
‘I got to thinking — what is there left for me to do in wrestling right now? Right now, there’s really no storylines where I would fit in,’ she admitted, noting her exit has ‘nothing to do’ with AEW boss Tony Khan.
She added: ‘It’s just me thinking that I just don’t fit in right now. I feel like I might be taking someone else’s spot, someone who could be doing something really special.’
She isn’t closing the door on an AEW return one day, but after a lot of changes in her life – including a breakup from boyfriend Ronnie Radke – she’s ready take ‘a little step back’ and focus on herself.
Her departure comes after names like Penta and Ricky Starks (now known as Ricky Saint) made the jump from AEW to WWE, while other stars like Rey Fenix and Aleister Black are poised to follow suit after recent vignettes on Raw and SmackDown.
Former AEW stars like Penta have already made the jump to WWE (Picture: Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images)
Saraya has remained on good terms with WWE, and previously praised boss Triple H – real name Paul Levesque – after he tried to find her a role after the previous regime opted not to renew her contract.
In January 2023, she exclusively told Metro: ‘He did give me the opportunity to potentially be a GM again, and give me the opportunity to be like, “If you ever potentially want to wrestle again, I’ll give you that opportunity too”.
‘He was very open about any ideas that I had.’
However, she didn’t know WWE President Nick Khan in the same way, and she wasn’t sure what to expect if she decided to stay after a long time sat on the sidelines.
She added: ‘I know Triple H is fantastic, and he’s an awesome boss and I know that because I worked with him in NXT. He’s still half the boss, and the other half is the Nick [Khan] guy right, who I haven’t met yet.’
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