Latest news with #Bevis
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NNBR Q1 Earnings Call: Revenue Falls Short, Management Emphasizes Cost Cuts and New Business Pipeline
Industrial components supplier NN (NASDAQ:NNBR) missed Wall Street's revenue expectations in Q1 CY2025, with sales falling 12.8% year on year to $105.7 million. The company's full-year revenue guidance of $445 million at the midpoint came in 2% below analysts' estimates. Its non-GAAP loss of $0.03 per share was in line with analysts' consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy NNBR? Find out in our full research report (it's free). Revenue: $105.7 million vs analyst estimates of $109.7 million (12.8% year-on-year decline, 3.7% miss) Adjusted EBITDA: $10.58 million vs analyst estimates of $11.73 million (10% margin, 9.8% miss) The company dropped its revenue guidance for the full year to $445 million at the midpoint from $465 million, a 4.3% decrease EBITDA guidance for the full year is $58 million at the midpoint, above analyst estimates of $53.16 million Operating Margin: -4.5%, in line with the same quarter last year Market Capitalization: $109 million NN's first quarter performance was shaped by ongoing softness in its core automotive markets and broader industrial demand uncertainty. CEO Harold Bevis highlighted that sales lagged internal expectations, particularly among global automotive customers, with management shifting its business development efforts to immediate, profitable ramp-up sales to compensate. The company's new business program—nicknamed PIGS (Profitable Immediate Growth Strategy)—was a focal point, as management stated it successfully secured $55 million in new program wins ramping up throughout the year. Operational cost reductions, including a 16% workforce reduction since mid-2023, were a key lever to offset market headwinds, with management indicating these actions would support profit improvement in the coming quarters. Looking forward, NN's updated full-year guidance centers on a combination of new business launches, ongoing cost reductions, and working capital improvements. Management reiterated its confidence in hitting EBITDA and free cash flow targets, underpinned by what Bevis described as significant open capacity and a large pipeline of new business opportunities—particularly in industrial and medical segments. The company acknowledged persistent economic uncertainty and tariffs as factors influencing its revenue forecast, but expects its immediate ramp-up wins to partially offset base business weakness. CFO Chris Bohnert noted, 'Our Q1 results have NN on pace to achieve full-year guidance, and we anticipate maintaining this pace through 2025,' while also warning that market conditions could push results toward the lower end of the expected range. Management attributed first quarter results to a combination of softening base business demand and successful execution of new business programs, while emphasizing aggressive cost reduction and operational changes. Automotive demand remains volatile: Management cited lower volumes from global automotive customers, which make up 40% of sales, as a primary factor behind the quarter's weaker demand. The company noted a global slowdown in the transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) to electric vehicles (EV), leading to a more balanced market that leverages NN's existing capabilities. PIGS program drives new wins: The Profitable Immediate Growth Strategy (PIGS) was highlighted as a key initiative, with 120 new programs worth $55 million in annualized sales set to ramp up during 2025. Management said these wins are helping offset softness in legacy business lines and are expected to significantly impact results in the second half of the year. Cost reduction accelerates: The company completed a 16% reduction in its workforce since Q2 2023, with further headcount alignment and cost-cutting underway. Management stated that these initiatives are already improving EBITDA per salaried employee and will continue to support profit margins. Capacity utilization supports growth: NN operated most plants on a single shift, leaving substantial open capacity. This allows the company to pursue new business opportunities without significant capital expenditure, supporting both near- and long-term growth objectives. Transformation progress continues: Management reported its multi-year transformation plan is roughly 70% complete, including enhancements to leadership, plant optimization, and the exit of unprofitable business lines. This, paired with improved working capital efficiency, is positioned as a foundation for future margin improvement. NN's outlook is shaped by new business launches, ongoing cost actions, and uncertain demand trends in core markets. New business ramp-up timing: Management expects approximately half of the $55 million in new program wins to begin contributing meaningfully in the second half of 2025, with remaining wins phased in over the next three to nine months. The timing depends on customer-driven ramp schedules and certification processes, especially in medical and industrial segments. Cost savings execution: The $15 million cost reduction target for 2025 is expected to be mostly evenly distributed throughout the year, with some actions back-end loaded. These savings are intended to counteract pressure from lower base business volumes and support targeted EBITDA margins. Tariff and market uncertainty: Management acknowledged that tariffs and ongoing economic unpredictability continue to affect both quoting activity and customer order patterns, particularly in automotive. While NN is pursuing reshoring and tariff-driven requests for quotes, the company remains selective and cautious about new automotive business requiring significant capital investments. In the coming quarters, the StockStory team will be watching (1) the pace and profitability of new business program ramp-ups, particularly in medical and industrial segments; (2) further progress on cost reduction initiatives and their effect on margins; and (3) updates on plant optimization, including potential consolidations. Execution of tariff-driven opportunities and the company's ability to improve working capital efficiency will also be closely monitored. NN currently trades at a forward P/E ratio of 324.3×. Is the company at an inflection point that warrants a buy or sell? The answer lies in our full research report (it's free). Market indices reached historic highs following Donald Trump's presidential victory in November 2024, but the outlook for 2025 is clouded by new trade policies that could impact business confidence and growth. While this has caused many investors to adopt a "fearful" wait-and-see approach, we're leaning into our best ideas that can grow regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. Take advantage of Mr. Market by checking out our Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Sign in to access your portfolio
Perth Now
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Pure Hart helps volunteer secure $5000 boost for local sport
David Bevis lives and breathes his sport and his community. The Dale Little Athletics Centre volunteer has spent countless hours over the past 12 seasons making sure kids have access to top-notch training and support, as well as manning a stopwatch and anything else that needs doing. He does the little things that make sports work. But it's the big things he does that helped him be named the winner of the 2025 HART of Your Club competition – big things, including raising more than $25,000 for a local family impacted by a life-changing injury. When one of their athletes broke his back in an accident, Bevis rallied the community to get behind the family through the 'Run for Ryan' fundraising project. The support wasn't just financial either. 'My wife and I have been networking over the last few years with Kinetic Track Squad, headed by Para Coach Danny Kevan, to try and encourage more athletes with additional needs or impairments to get involved,' Bevis said. Pictured is David Bevis, winner of $5k for his sporting club. Credit: Riley Churchman / The West Australian 'With this network … we were able to introduce Ryan to Danny and his squad and in turn introduce them to Chris Kent who coaches wheelchair racing. 'Probably of all the things we have been involved in this sport, being able to assist in keeping one of my athletes in the sport after such a catastrophic injury so he can keep doing what he loves, has been the most rewarding.' Bevis' behind-the-scenes heroics have helped the Dale Little Athletics Centre win $5000 worth of new sporting equipment as winner of the HART of Your Club competition. The competition, presented by Australian sporting equipment supplier HART Sports and community sport streaming platform Streamer, put the call out for clubs and associations to nominate their local heroes – the people who go above and beyond for their sport and their communities. Pictured is David Bevis, winner of $5k for his sporting club. Credit: Riley Churchman / The West Australian The response was tremendous, with more than one hundred volunteers nominated for their incredible contributions. Mr Bevis was still reeling at being nominated, let alone winning, but his thoughts turned immediately to what the money would mean for the little athletics program. The centre recently experienced a break-in to the equipment shed, making it a timely opportunity to replace stolen items. HART Sports has been a cornerstone of the Australian sporting landscape for more than 30 years, providing essential equipment to all levels of sport. Volunteers like David are the heartbeat of sporting clubs up and down the country. What made David's submission stand out was the emphasis he puts on creating an inclusive environment where all children have the chance to get involved. Grassroot clubs like the Dale Little Athletics Centre are pillars of their communities and we are thrilled to provide $5000 worth of sporting gear to help break down barriers and make sure the kids have access to world-class athletic equipment. Andrew Mills, National Sales Manager at HART Sport
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NN Announces Another Strong Quarter of New Business Wins
CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NN (NASDAQ: NNBR) today announced an update on its new business wins program and its ongoing above-plan margin results. Highlights: First quarter 2025 new business wins were $16.4 million; we believe NN is on pace to meet its 2025 goal of $65 million of new business awards Approximately $98 million of new business awards will ramp into revenue stream during 2025 and beyond New wins for the quarter were in the key focus areas of non-automotive industrial products, electrical and power products, medical, and automotive products NN is leveraging its installed base of $340 million of assets and is selectively adding new capacity in certain growth areas NN has secured more than $150 million in new wins since Q1 2023, tracking ahead of its five-year goal and supporting its long-term net sales targets which also assumes a stable base market for ongoing business NN's new business pipeline continues to expand in non-automotive, medical, industrial, and automotive products NN has built a $340+ million pipeline in the targeted areas of electrical, medical, and industrial; or about half of its pipeline NN's adjusted EBITDA rate is ahead of its five-year plan due to cost-improvement actions and new business NN is increasing its five-year Adjusted EBITDA target range up to 13-14%, up from prior range of 12-13% Company is incurring immaterial direct tariff impacts due to its indigenous footprint strategy in the US NN is reaffirming prior adjusted EBITDA guidance for 2025 Harold Bevis, Chief Executive Officer of NN Inc. commented, 'First quarter 2025 was a good quarter for NN as we continued to execute on our transformation strategy, highlighted by strong new business growth of $16.4 million. Our commercial pipeline is building upon the strong momentum delivered since the launch of the transformation, and we are proud to be solidifying our position as an elite and preferred supplier in our key growth portfolios. Our base business is slightly less than expected in certain areas due to uncertainties, but the company is adjusting its cost positions where needed.' Bevis concluded, 'Our team remains highly focused on accretive margin expansion and driving operational improvements across the company. Our efforts to date have resulted in profitability improvements that are tracking ahead of our initial transformation plan, and as a result, we are increasing our five-year Adjusted EBITDA margin target up to the range of 13-14%. We are well underway with improving our cost structure, onboarding accretive new business, pivoting our ongoing accumulated pipeline, and improving our margin mix through continued wins in our key growth areas of stampings, electrical, and medical markets. While we are pleased with the momentum and early success of our program, we are only getting started and will implement further growth and cost-out initiatives to strengthen profitability and expand our margins as part of our commitment to growing shareholder value.' ABOUT NN NN is a global industrial company that combines advanced engineering and production capabilities to deliver solutions for high-precision components and assemblies for a variety of markets on a global basis. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, NN has facilities in North America, Asia, Europe, and South America. For more information, visit FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Except for specific historical information, many of the matters discussed in this press release may express or imply projections of revenues or expenditures, statements of plans and objectives or future operations or statements of future economic performance. These statements may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future trends, plans, events, results of operations or financial condition, or state other information relating to NN, Inc. (the 'Company') based on current beliefs of management as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Forward-looking statements generally will be accompanied by words such as 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'could,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'forecast,' 'growth,' 'guidance,' 'intend,' 'may,' 'will,' 'possible,' 'potential,' 'predict,' 'project,' 'trajectory' or other similar words, phrases or expressions. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are outside of management's control and that may cause actual results to be materially different from such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, general economic conditions and economic conditions in the industrial sector; the impacts of pandemics, epidemics, disease outbreaks and other public health crises, on our financial condition, business operations and liquidity; competitive influences; risks that current customers will commence or increase captive production; risks of capacity underutilization; quality issues; material changes in the costs and availability of raw materials; economic, social, political and geopolitical instability, military conflict, currency fluctuation, and other risks of doing business outside of the United States; inflationary pressures and changes in the cost or availability of materials, supply chain shortages and disruptions, the availability of labor and labor disruptions along the supply chain; our dependence on certain major customers, some of whom are not parties to long-term agreements (and/or are terminable on short notice); the impact of acquisitions and divestitures, as well as expansion of end markets and product offerings; our ability to hire or retain key personnel; the level of our indebtedness; the restrictions contained in our debt agreements; our ability to obtain financing at favorable rates, if at all, and to refinance existing debt as it matures; our ability to secure, maintain or enforce patents or other appropriate protections for our intellectual property; new laws and governmental regulations; the impact of climate change on our operations; and cyber liability or potential liability for breaches of our or our service providers' information technology systems or business operations disruptions. The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the sections entitled 'Risk Factors' and 'Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations' included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. New risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict their occurrence or how they will affect the Company. The Company qualifies all forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. Investor Relations: Joseph Caminiti or Stephen Poe, Investors NNBR@ 312-445-2870
Associated Press
21-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
NN Announces Another Strong Quarter of New Business Wins
New Business Awards of $16.4 million in first quarter 2025; New Business Awards of over $150 million since Q1 2023; tracking ahead of its five-year plan Company raises five-year Adjusted EBITDA margin target range to 13–14%, and reaffirms previous 2025 Adjusted EBITDA guidance CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NN (NASDAQ: NNBR) today announced an update on its new business wins program and its ongoing above-plan margin results. Highlights: Harold Bevis, Chief Executive Officer of NN Inc. commented, 'First quarter 2025 was a good quarter for NN as we continued to execute on our transformation strategy, highlighted by strong new business growth of $16.4 million. Our commercial pipeline is building upon the strong momentum delivered since the launch of the transformation, and we are proud to be solidifying our position as an elite and preferred supplier in our key growth portfolios. Our base business is slightly less than expected in certain areas due to uncertainties, but the company is adjusting its cost positions where needed.' Bevis concluded, 'Our team remains highly focused on accretive margin expansion and driving operational improvements across the company. Our efforts to date have resulted in profitability improvements that are tracking ahead of our initial transformation plan, and as a result, we are increasing our five-year Adjusted EBITDA margin target up to the range of 13-14%. We are well underway with improving our cost structure, onboarding accretive new business, pivoting our ongoing accumulated pipeline, and improving our margin mix through continued wins in our key growth areas of stampings, electrical, and medical markets. While we are pleased with the momentum and early success of our program, we are only getting started and will implement further growth and cost-out initiatives to strengthen profitability and expand our margins as part of our commitment to growing shareholder value.' ABOUT NN NN is a global industrial company that combines advanced engineering and production capabilities to deliver solutions for high-precision components and assemblies for a variety of markets on a global basis. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, NN has facilities in North America, Asia, Europe, and South America. For more information, visit FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Except for specific historical information, many of the matters discussed in this press release may express or imply projections of revenues or expenditures, statements of plans and objectives or future operations or statements of future economic performance. These statements may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future trends, plans, events, results of operations or financial condition, or state other information relating to NN, Inc. (the 'Company') based on current beliefs of management as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Forward-looking statements generally will be accompanied by words such as 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'could,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'forecast,' 'growth,' 'guidance,' 'intend,' 'may,' 'will,' 'possible,' 'potential,' 'predict,' 'project,' 'trajectory' or other similar words, phrases or expressions. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are outside of management's control and that may cause actual results to be materially different from such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, general economic conditions and economic conditions in the industrial sector; the impacts of pandemics, epidemics, disease outbreaks and other public health crises, on our financial condition, business operations and liquidity; competitive influences; risks that current customers will commence or increase captive production; risks of capacity underutilization; quality issues; material changes in the costs and availability of raw materials; economic, social, political and geopolitical instability, military conflict, currency fluctuation, and other risks of doing business outside of the United States; inflationary pressures and changes in the cost or availability of materials, supply chain shortages and disruptions, the availability of labor and labor disruptions along the supply chain; our dependence on certain major customers, some of whom are not parties to long-term agreements (and/or are terminable on short notice); the impact of acquisitions and divestitures, as well as expansion of end markets and product offerings; our ability to hire or retain key personnel; the level of our indebtedness; the restrictions contained in our debt agreements; our ability to obtain financing at favorable rates, if at all, and to refinance existing debt as it matures; our ability to secure, maintain or enforce patents or other appropriate protections for our intellectual property; new laws and governmental regulations; the impact of climate change on our operations; and cyber liability or potential liability for breaches of our or our service providers' information technology systems or business operations disruptions. The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the sections entitled 'Risk Factors' and 'Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations' included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. New risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict their occurrence or how they will affect the Company. The Company qualifies all forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. Investor Relations: Joseph Caminiti or Stephen Poe, Investors [email protected] 312-445-2870
The Guardian
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The wrestler with nine lives: how Saraya survived alcohol, abuse, injury and a leaked sex tape
It's hard to know where to start with champion wrestler Saraya-Jade Bevis. Do we start in the same place as her memoir, at rock bottom aged 25 when a sex tape of Bevis taking part in a threesome was leaked and went viral? At that time, Bevis was suspended from wrestling, addicted to alcohol and, she says, snorting so much cocaine that her nose was spraying out blood. Or do we start with her childhood in Norwich, raised by a family of wrestlers, ex-cons and alcoholics, living in a council house where, she says, the rent was always due and dinner might be mashed potato sandwiches. The childhood sexual abuse that she had kept hidden for most of her life? Her rags-to-riches signing at 18 to WWE, the largest wrestling promotion in the world? Her new life in the US, when she was enjoying success as champion wrestler Paige, but feeling lonely, homesick, vulnerable? She met some very bad men. She partied too hard. She fractured her neck. She spent five years in recovery before returning to the ring. Her memoir is called Hell in Boots: Clawing My Way Through Nine Lives for good reason. 'There's actually a lot I had to leave out as I couldn't fit it all in,' Bevis says of the book. 'How am I only 32?' Anyone who has seen the 2019 film Fighting With My Family, starring Florence Pugh as Bevis, will know something of her story. It's a feelgood comedy, written and directed by Stephen Merchant, which focuses on her family in Norwich – although it nearly didn't make it on screen. Production was halted for a while because Bevis was in such a bad way, she says, and the team were worried she might have died by the time it was released. Her memoir goes much deeper – there's still a lot of light and love, especially for her family, but darkness too. Bevis's parents both had difficult starts. She says they were saved by wrestling. 'My dad was this old-school gangster, getting into trouble, going to prison, drinking,' she says. Patrick Frary, once a football hooligan known as Paddy the Bat for his weapon of choice, was working as a bouncer when someone told him he'd make a good wrestler. He learned the moves and began doing shows as Rowdy Ricky Knight, then met Bevis's mum, Julia Hamer, when performing at a holiday camp. 'She'd been homeless, she was on drugs,' says Bevis. They fell in love, got married and got sober. Hamer started wrestling too, as well as their children – Bevis, her older brother Zak, and her dad's children from a previous marriage. (Bevis herself was named after the band Slayer, who her mum had seen live in the 80s while high on acid. She'd misheard the name and saved it for her future daughter.) Together, they built a family business, WAW (World Association of Wrestling), performing, running training sessions and selling merch. Fighting With My Family, says Bevis, captured her home life to a T. There was always mayhem. School wasn't a priority. Her parents were big-hearted people who'd been at the very bottom, and wanted to save anyone who needed help. 'We were the kind of family that would invite everybody into the house,' says Bevis. 'There were always wrestlers, troubled youths and stray animals at our door. If someone was on the street, my dad would take them in, give them a bath, give them a bed. My parents were nice … to a fault.' When Bevis and her brother were young children, one of those guests began molesting them at night. The siblings shared a room and had been asked to make space for someone older whose dad was in prison. This abuse went on for quite some time and makes for truly harrowing reading – the smells that to this day make Bevis gag, the sounds of life and laughter continuing downstairs while she and her brother were trapped in hell. They had no words to explain what was happening to their parents, and instead tried somehow to manage it themselves. At one point, Bevis remembers Zak calling the abuser away from her bed and into his, simply to save his sister. When the abuse finally ended, the two siblings locked it away and never spoke of it. Bevis was 29 and living in LA when Zak called, close to a breakdown, finally needing to put it into words. 'We both really did sob,' she says. 'I didn't want to talk about it but when we finally did, it was weirdly wonderful because we could validate each other. In the back of my mind, I'd always wondered: 'Did this happen? Am I dreaming it?' I was so young. Just saying it out loud helped heal me.' Bevis still hasn't spoken to her parents about it, she says. 'We're British, and I didn't have the courage. I put it in the book instead. But I'm not angry at them. They're good people. They tried to help someone they thought they could trust. I don't blame them at all. The only person I blame is him.' Though wrestling was her family's beating heart, as a child Bevis had no intention of doing it herself. (She wanted to be a zoologist.) Seeing the blood spilled during matches unnerved her. 'The pain just didn't make sense to me,' she says. Her mum was particularly injury-prone and lost most of her vision for six months after a knock on the head. At 13, though, at a family wrestling event, the women's tag team was a few short and Bevis was persuaded to get in the ring with Zak, who was dressed as a pink Power Ranger with a mask and a padded bra. Bevis was knocked out in the first match but still caught the bug. 'Unless you know the feeling, you're not going to understand,' she says. 'How can I explain it? Whether it's five people in the Norwich Corn Exchange or 100,000 at WrestleMania, you know that you can control what [the audience] are feeling. You can make them hate you, love you, cry for you and you get this adrenaline rush. It's like a drug.' She gets frustrated by claims that it's all fake. 'It's predetermined,' she says. 'But you don't watch a movie and say: 'Oh this is fake.' We're just trying to tell you a story – and we don't have stunt doubles. We're doing everything. We get hurt all the time. I've had two neck surgeries. And when you win, when you're selected to be the champion, you're chosen as the face front and centre, to sell the merchandise, to have all eyes on you. It's magical when they pick you.' At 18, Bevis was scouted by WWE, flown to Florida and has remained in the US ever since. It was a dream come true, but the wrestling culture was very different to the one she'd known. In the early days especially, female wrestlers in the US were expected to parade in bikinis between matches and 'fight like girls' – pulling hair and scratching rather than the lifting and slamming. 'I was uncomfortable at first,' she says, 'and I really did stick out like a sore thumb. The other girls were so put together, so beautiful, perfect bodies, perfect hair. I was this pale girl from Norwich with piercings and black hair. I looked a hot mess.' She was lonely too, which led to her first real relationship, with another wrestler who was eight years older than her. 'I look back on it now and think: 'Ugh, what was I doing?'' she says. 'I was 19 and at that age, girls just want to please. He was making suggestions about stuff he wanted to do and things he wanted to film.' Bevis ended up having a threesome with her boyfriend and another wrestler, which was filmed. 'Ultimately, it was my decision, no one was holding a gun to my head, but I felt gross afterwards,' she says. Five years later, after the relationship had long since ended, the recording was leaked. 'I don't know how [it was leaked], but I have my thoughts,' she says. 'I had to drink to be able to do those things, and now everyone was getting to see them.' By the time this happened, Bevis's life was already in freefall. Her rise through WWE had been meteoric and she'd quickly become a full-time main roster star and a two-time WWE Divas Champion (the youngest ever at 21). 'Looking so different actually turned into a selling point,' she says. 'It was more attainable. People thought: 'I can be like her.'' But the schedule of a star wrestler was exhausting, flying across the country five days a week, then three or four-hour drives to perform at packed venues. (She remembers falling asleep in a chair before a match while someone was applying her makeup.) Bevis was also invited to join the cast of the wrestling reality TV show Total Divas, so she was usually followed by a camera crew. Alcohol flowed. 'The more drunk we were, the more outrageous, the better the ratings,' she says. After a while, she couldn't sleep without alcohol. At some point, she added in cocaine. The childhood abuse played a part here. 'I'd always think about it when I'd been drinking or doing drugs,' she says, 'and I'd get into fights every time. I was always thinking: 'I will not let anybody hurt me.' I was having paranoid thoughts.' In the midst of this, the source of Bevis's increasing neck pain – necks are a very vulnerable area for wrestlers – was revealed to be multiple small fractures and a condition called spinal stenosis, which required surgery. After the operation, Bevis stopped going to physio and training. Around the same time, she failed two WWE drug tests and was suspended. Then came the sex tape. Her first response on seeing it online was to vomit. Her next was to open the door of her house in Texas and start running. 'I wanted to kill myself,' she says. 'I didn't want to be around any more. It was like the straw that broke the camel's back. I felt as if there was no way I could recover from this – my career, my friendships, my family. I felt that everything was done.' A few things helped bring her back from the edge. The first was her family. For months, as she had spiralled out of control, Bevis had been distancing herself from them, ignoring their messages and lying about her drug use – but now she needed to talk to them. 'My dad has always been my biggest supporter,' she says, 'and I'd put them through so much. I felt like they must be gutted, that they weren't going to forgive me.' She called her dad that day, sobbing, crouched behind a hedge in a car park. He answered the phone with 'Hello princess' and told her that it was absolutely normal to have sex and nothing to be ashamed of. 'He made a dad joke that it might make me more famous – like Kim Kardashian,' says Bevis. He said he'd always be proud of her, and not to let it break her. 'I couldn't have asked for a more perfect reaction.' WWE also reached out immediately to check she was OK, to say that 'these things happen' and that they would put out a statement and work on getting the video taken down. Bevis returned to training, got a sober coach, and eventually got back in the ring. But, within months, another neck injury forced her to take a five-year break. She stayed sober, got therapy and lived in LA with her partner, the singer and rapper Ronnie Radke. In 2022, at the age of 30, Bevis was finally able to wrestle again, and signed with AEW (All Elite Wrestling), ditched the Paige persona and wrestled under her own name, Saraya. 'Going back was so hard,' she says. 'My body was no longer a giant callus. I wasn't a tough, giant scab any more – I was soft and to start taking all the bumps again was awful. I did think I'd made a mistake at first.' At the end of her memoir, which was released last week, Bevis is still wrestling and still with Radke, then her partner of five years. But, when we speak, a lot has changed. Now she's single, living with three birds and three dogs and in the process of moving herself and the menagerie to Nashville. 'Ronnie and I split up,' she says. 'It wasn't meant to be.' She's no longer wrestling, either, and her brother, who performs as Zak Zodiac, is on wrestling hiatus. ('He's got a food truck in Norwich called Zaket Potato and he's having a great time,' she says. 'He has a wife, three kids, he wants to be at home and focus on his business.') 'I'm going to be 33 soon,' she continues. 'A lot of the girls wrestling are 22. Wrestling will always be in my heart, but I need a fresh start. I have the book coming out, I want to focus on acting – I have a bunch of plans. That will have to be book two.' Hell in Boots: Clawing My Way Through Nine Lives by Saraya-Jade Bevis is published by Simon & Schuster (£20) In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at
