Saraya Opens Up on Her Biggest Regret in Tony Khan's AEW
Saraya was rightfully the cornerstone of the early 'Women's Evolution' in WWE. After all, the first-ever NXT Women's Champion won the Divas title in her main roster debut on Raw after WrestleMania 30 when she shockingly beat AJ Lee.
In a career laced with iconic rivalries with the likes of Lee, Sasha Banks, and Nikki Bella, the erstwhile Paige had a decent run. However, injuries ruined her momentum.
This led to her taking on an on-screen managerial role as the General Manager of SmackDown. However, she soon left WWE and joined AEW, and her return to wrestling in 2022, after a five-year hiatus, was a significant moment. However, she recently revealed some regret about her run in Tony Khan's company.
Saraya Reveals She Regrets Not Pushing Herself Enough in the Ring
For the unversed, Saraya returned to in-ring action against Britt Baker in AEW. She recently reflected on that moment on the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast and said, 'Tony was like, 'All right, you're gonna be wrestling in like, two weeks.' And I'm like, 'I've had five years out. How do I get back in the ring again?' I didn't have much time to train or anything… My brother Zak flew over, and he took me to a ring a couple of times, and we just tried to get some of the ring rust off, but it was really hard.
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Saraya On Returning to WWE As Paige, Neck Injury, "Fighting With My Family", Sobriety, Mercedes Mone
However, the wounds and memories of her devastating neck injury were still fresh, and the former Divas Champion wanted to be as cautious as possible in the ring. This turned out to be Saraya's biggest regret.
"The only thing I regret about my AEW run is that I wish I tried harder when it comes to the wrestling side of things. I think I went too easy on myself, because I was a little bit worried that something would happen like WWE, where I would f*ck up and my neck would get hurt again.
And I was too overly cautious."
As of July 2025, Saraya is now a free agent and is even open to returning to WWE as 'Paige'. Nonetheless, her AEW departure was respectful, and she feels that it was the right time to let go. Moreover, she even hinted at returning at Evolution 2, which is slated to take place this week in Atlanta. And with her autobiography and podcast set to launch soon, the former Divas title holder is ready for some new challenges.
Also read:
Former WWE NXT Champion reflects on reports of most harassed wrestlers online
Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
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