Former WWE Superstar Paige has recently opened up about the career-ending injury that she suffered at a house show during a match with The Boss Sasha Banks.
Saraya (FKA Paige) had one of the most astounding main roster debut’s in WWE history when she won the Diva’s Championship from AJ Lee in her first match. She would then go on to relinquish the NXT Women’s Championship after a 308 day reign because she was holding both the Diva’s and NXT Women’s Championship. Winning the gold would place her in the history books as she would become the youngest Diva’s Champion at only 21 years of age.
Saraya’s WWE career took off as she would go on to win the Diva’s Championship one more time, making her a two-time champion.
In 2016, she would suffer a neck injury which caused her to miss a year-and-a-half of action, but she then made her return in November of 2017 alongside the newly debuting Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose.
This run wouldn’t last long, when at a December house show she would team with Rose and Deville as they formed the stable known as Absolution, to take on the team of Bayley, Mickie James, and Sasha Banks. During the match Banks would deliver a strong kick to Paige’s back which reinjured her neck.
The neck injury would force Saraya to retire from in ring competition and some fans continue to blame Sasha Banks’ devastating kick to be the reason the young star has to retire.
Saraya recently spoke about the injury on Turning the Paige at Starrcast V, and how she hated that there was heat towards Sasha Banks from fans:
“I hated that [the heat on Sasha for the spot]. Wrestling isn’t ballet, I say ballet, but ballet is tough. It is not the smoothest floor, you are going to get hurt in your career. I thought I could come back and do exactly the same thing as what I could do prior to my first injury. And that’s on me, that’s my fault. I did the same move with Bayley literally the day before, and unfortunately the timing was a little bit off, it is what it is.”
Saraya has recently left the WWE and has no plans of going anywhere else just yet.
If you use any quotes from this transcription, please credit Turning the Paige and link back to this article with a h/t to Inside the Ropes.