Paige returned to WWE in 2017, being welcomed back with open arms, but company executives didn’t hold back in telling her they thought she was “going to die”.
‘The Anti-Diva’ resurfaced on Raw’s 20 November 2017 broadcast, forming Absolution with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. Together, the trio laid out Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Mickie James but unfortunately, Paige only lasted one month before an injury forced her into retirement.
During this comeback, the inaugural NXT Women’s Champion was told by three key WWE executives how they thought she would die on account of her low weight. She detailed her return to the company in speaking to Renee Paquette on her Sessions podcast:
“I walked up to Hunter [Triple H] and he just gave me this huge hug. He was like, ‘I thought you were gonna die.’ I walk up to Stephanie. Stephanie gives me a big hug, says the same thing. Then I get to Vince and he looked at me for a second, and he’s like, ‘Come here,’ and he gives me a big hug, and he was just like, ‘I thought you were gonna die.’ They all had the same thing to say.”
Paige wrestled just seven matches upon coming back to WWE. Her final match saw her, Mandy Rose, and Sonya Deville go to a no contest with Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Mickie James during a live event in Uniondale, New York, during which a Banks-thrown kick prematurely ended her career.
Although she announced her official retirement in April 2018, the real-life Saraya-Jade Bevis remained with WWE until this past July. On-screen, she served in a couple of roles, including SmackDown General Manager and The Kabuki Warriors’ manager.
Following a successful panel during Starrcast V weekend, the now-Saraya will return to the World Association of Wrestling organisation, helmed by her parents, this October.