8 Things We Learned From WWE Chronicle: Paige

The Brit was very nearly paralysed.

by Benjamin Richardson
Paige Vince McMahon
WWE

Shortly after NXT TakeOver: Phoenix faded from air, WWE dropped another in their consistently excellent series of Network documentaries Chronicle. The company intimated that the latest feature, focusing on the comeback and eventual heartbreaking retirement of Paige, would be the most on-the-nose of their fly-on-the-wall features.

They weren't kidding.

Leaving aside cynicism for the fact the documentary has landed at precisely the moment Paige is beginning the big promotional push for the upcoming Fighting With My Family film - and the necessary redemption narrative that entails - the latest Chronicle is a fascinating insight into the real performer, giving her the platform to address all her troubles in her own words.

She doesn't waste the opportunity.

Paige is disarmingly frank - without being too gratuitous on the details - about her personal troubles over the past 18 months. No subject is left untouched, as she reflects on gradually losing control of her life whilst she struggled to cope with an unfortunate injury followed by a major breach of her privacy. It's remarkably candid, and that's what makes these documentaries so incongruently human compared to the rest of WWE.

Of course, we all know how this ends. Or do we? Here's what we learned.

8. She Moved To Pittsburgh On A Whim

Paige Vince McMahon
WWE Network

At the start of the doc, Paige recounts the epic ordeal she underwent trying - and mostly, failing - to schlepp a sofa into her new home. After repeated pivots failed to clear the staircase - in spite of smashing out a light fitting - the maligned mover eventually enlisted the help of a kindly neighbour, who, as you would, engaged in a military operation to haul the settee up and over the balcony.

Crikey.

So where had Paige moved to, anyway? Pittsburgh! Why? She explains that after hitting rock bottom, she "just wanted to start fresh somewhere" "This seems like just a random place, you know? I just, like, closed my eyes and pointed to a map and was like, OK, I'm going to Pittsburgh!"

Good job she didn't end up in the ocean.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.