Paige recently revealed her WWE contract will be expiring on July 7, and that the company will not be renewing her deal. The Anti-Diva hasn’t wrestled a match since 2017, when she was injured during a house show at Madison Square Garden on December 26. She was still utilized a handful of times by the company since then, including a role as an on-screen authority figure, but plans for her have largely fizzled out in recent years.
She signed with the FCW developmental brand (the precursor to modern NXT) and formed an immediate connection with a crowd that was largely the same age as her. It can be argued that Paige paved the way for the four horsewomen of WWE, who are largely credited with forcing WWE to change how women’s wrestling is viewed. That started, at least to some degree, with Paige and her work on NXT and following her call-up to the main roster.
As a fan favorite, many have been wondering what Paige’s post-WWE plans are. Her first confirmed appearance outside the company is with WAW, according to their @WAW_UK Twitter handle. She could appear for AEW, IMPACT, or whoever else much sooner than that October 15 date, however. As Dave Meltzer noted in the most recent edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Paige’s contract “expires on 7/7 and because it’s a contract expiration and not a firing, she could work 7/8 anywhere she wants.”
IMPACT has already expressed interest in Paige, and AEW hasn’t been shy about hoovering up former WWE talent. So much so that it’s been the subject of shoot-style interviews conducted by Scorpio Sky and MJF, among others. It wasn’t surprising to see her connected with the wrestling company that belongs to her family, and her return home in October will be heartwarming. Paige, who will be working under her real name, Saraya, will garner tons of interest from wrestling companies, both big and small, come July 8.
It’s unclear at this juncture where she is, healthwise, and that could be an obstacle to her popping up somewhere as early as mid-July. She has stated during live streams on Twitch that she feels she’ll be able to compete again and wrote as much on Twitter when announcing her departure from WWE. Paige might not have a hard time getting cleared, and this feels like a situation where fans won’t know how physical she can be in the ring until they see it. She’d be a huge get for either company, particularly AEW, where the women’s division has lagged behind the men’s in terms of growth and talent acquisition. Adding Athena and Toni Storm to the mix were great signings, but Paige would be on another level given to how she was booked during her time with WWE.
