Did Saraya Speak To WWE About Wrestling Again?
AEW's Saraya on whether or not she enquired with WWE about getting cleared.
Saraya has been given the green light to compete for All Elite Wrestling - but the option was never fully explored while the former Paige was still with WWE.
The former Divas Champion revealed as much during a recent Twitch stream. With news that she had been cleared to wrestle in AEW breaking via Dave Meltzer last week, Saraya has revealed that her wrestling again in WWE wasn't something she had ever brought up. The two parties never discussed the possibility of her lacing up for what would have been the first time since December 2017, when she suffered a reoccurrence of a serious, long-term neck injury, ultimately forcing her into retirement.
Said Saraya (h/t Fightful):-
"We never had that discussion. I never had that discussion with WWE because they let me go. I've been working years to better myself and be healthier and stronger. Me, mentally, I never brought it up because I had this mental block. I want to be as safe as possible. I know what my body can do. Me and WWE never had that discussion about having a match. I never brought it up to them about me potentially wrestling. If I was to talk them about it, I'm sure they would do the research. I wasn't mentally ready. It still makes me nervous, but I'm way smarter about it. I know what I can and can't do. I'm not expecting to do six German suplexes off the top. I'm not that wrestler anyway."
The 30-year-old left WWE following her contract's expiration on 7 July. Formally retiring in April 2018, Saraya's last major WWE roles came as SmackDown General Manager, then as a contributor on WWE Backstage.
21 September then saw her debut for AEW at its Grand Slam special, disrupting an angle involving key players in the company's women's division. News that Saraya had been cleared was preceded by a brawl on last week's Dynamite, with the former Paige getting physical, throwing her first punches and kicks in close to five years.
Elsewhere on the stream, Saraya stated that she will be adjusting her style when she eventually mounts that in-ring return:-
"I'm not looking to bump around like crazy like I did before. I need to make adjustments and be smart about it. I'm very aware of what I can and can't do."
AEW is yet to announce what will be Saraya's first match back since that fateful December 2017 house show, though Dr. Britt Baker DMD has been established as her most obvious opponent.