The news broke yesterday that Saraya, formerly known as Paige in WWE, has left AEW. For many fans unhappy with how Tony Khan has booked the British wrestler, the news was long overdue, and all eyes are now on what Saraya does next.
When she arrived on WWE's main roster in 2014, Saraya immediately started feuding with then-Divas Champion AJ Lee. She beat her for the title on the RAW after WrestleMania 30 and teamed with her at the Show of Shows the following year to defeat the Bella Twins.
"She definitely helped me big time when I first came up on the road," Saraya told Sports Illustrated, reflecting on the time they spent in the ring together. "It's very intimidating and she let me travel with her and she kind of took me under her wing. I called her my fairy godmother and she got me like these Doc Martens with the Union Jack on the toe for the first time I went to the UK and did a tour there."
"Like, she mothered me. She took care of me and I was so grateful for her," she continued. "The short stint we had was extremely impactful for people, obviously. The frenemies thing, people absolutely loved. People talk about it still to this day. And I feel like if we ever were to have like a reunion in wrestling, it would be really special."
While Saraya has inevitably been fielding questions about a possible WWE return over the past 24 hours or so, her focus in this interview was on the possibility of stepping back into the ring with Lee for "One. More. Match."
Ever since CM Punk returned to the company at the end of 2023, speculation has run rampant about his wife joining him in the company. That's something Saraya is very excited about seeing become a reality and, as you might expect, she hopes to be part of it.
"I know how rough wrestling can be on your body and maybe she's just like, 'Hey, I like doing what I'm doing without having to hurt myself,'" she mused. "Leading up to her departure [in 2015], she also had the neck injury and I tried to protect her as much as I could in that SummerSlam match."
"I'm hoping that she's fully healed and I want, selfishly, I want to have her back. I'm a mark for her. I love her as a person, as a wrestler. She was a big inspiration for me. And we just had such a magical freaking time together," Saraya concluded.
Do you think we could see Saraya vs. AJ Lee in a WWE ring this year? Stranger things have happened in pro wrestling, and you can let us know your thoughts in the comments section.