Paige made a seismic impact on WWE in the mid-2010s, with an unforgettable main roster debut in 2014 that saw her defeat AJ Lee for the Divas Championship during her first night on RAW.
Paige—whose real name is Saraya Bevis—has battled addiction and neck issues, and while she ultimately managed to overcome those to step back into the ring for AEW, many fans remain eager to see her back in WWE, not as Saraya, but as Paige.
With AEW now in her rearview, it feels like a WWE return is somewhere on the horizon. If it doesn't happen during next month's Royal Rumble, then we'll start losing faith, but Saraya has talked a lot about being open to stepping back into the squared circle for the company.
During the latest edition of the Rulebreakers podcast, the former WWE Superstar detailed an uncomfortable, inappropriate interaction with a fan at a recent autograph signing event in Chicago.
"I will say this lately, I feel like there’s been like an influx of certain fans feeling way too comfortable to be grabbing on females," Saraya stated. "Just this past weekend in Chicago, a fan decided he wanted to slap my ass three times in a row because he thought it was funny. And the security didn’t do a f****** thing."
"They ended up coming up to me afterwards and were like, 'Do you want us to escort him out?' But it was already nearly done, you know? It was just like—it’s too late in the day," she continued. "This is the second time this year that a fan has touched me, tried to kiss me, and tried to slap my a**. It’s just way too comfortable."
It's beyond gross that some fans think it's okay to act in this way, but there has been a definite increase in the number of incidents we've heard about like this involving female wrestlers.
Events like this one clearly need to beef up security, while fans themselves would also benefit from gaining a better understanding of what is and isn't acceptable in a situation like this one.
"I’m ready to come back. I want to get my cardio back and get the ring rust off. I found my love for it again," Saraya said earlier this year when she was asked about a possible WWE return. "This is such an exciting time for wrestling, and I miss it. I want to be Paige again, like the way she wrestled in NXT, and I want to upgrade her. I’m not going to be crazy, but I want to do the new generation style of wrestling."
"If I ever come back, people are going to be surprised at what I can do. I’m going to credit Natty because I am coming to the Dungeon. I’m going to come there for a good month, and we are going to sweat," she concluded.
You can hear more from Saraya in the player below.