Saraya Comments On Her Shock AEW Debut

The Anti-Diva shocked the wrestling world at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam last night.

by Andrew Pollard
AEW Saraya Paige
AEW/ScottLesh

Coming out of a white-hot episode of AEW Dynamite last night, one of the biggest talking points was the shocking arrival of Saraya.

Having departed WWE in July, the former Paige made her presence known at Dynamite: Grand Slam by coming to the rescue of Toni Storm and Athena as the duo were getting beaten down by Serena Deeb, Jamie Hayter, Rebel and Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. Following that appearance, AEW was quick to throw up the "Saraya is #AllElite" graphic on social media.

Now, the one-time WWE Divas Champion herself has taken to Twitter to comment on her surprise debut at Queens' Arthur Ashe Stadium.

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Of course, one major question thrown up by Saraya's arrival in All Elite Wrestling, is whether or not she'll be an active in-ring competitor.

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The inaugural NXT Women's Champion, the English grappler was forced to retire the night after WrestleMania 34 due to further damage to the initial neck issues that had troubled her for the prior few years. That run under the WWE banner dated back to 2011, with the real-life Saraya-Jade Bevis serving as a true trailblazer for the company as it ushered in its Women's Revolution.

After that enforced retirement, Paige was utilised in a number of different roles, from the General Manager of SmackDown, to the manager of the Kabuki Warriors, to being a regular presence on shows like The Bump and the short-lived WWE Backstage.

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Before exiting WWE when her contract expired in July, the Anti-Diva had expressed an urge to return to the squared circle and to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Bryan Danielson and Edge in coming back from career-ending injuries. Given how the AEW announce team went hard in stating how Saraya "can go", it certainly sounds like the hugely talented star may well be lacing up her boots once again at some point in the future.

For now, it's just great to have Saraya back on our screens and to witness her get such a ridiculous, deafening reaction at Arthur Ashe.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.