Renee Paquette has recalled a particularly emotional AEW moment, and perhaps surprisingly it had nothing to do with husband Jon Moxley.
AEW has been short on feel-good stories in recent weeks with the fall out from the altercation between CM Punk and The Elite still dominating the wrestling world. However, at AEW Grand Slam All Elite Wrestling went back to basics.
A new World Champion was crowned, The Acclaimed won the World Tag Team Titles to a monster ovation and a former WWE Superstar arrived in the company to an equally spectacular reception. The ex-WWE star in question was Saraya, formerly known as Paige whose contract with the sports entertainment giant expired back on July 7th.
Speaking on a recent episode of her podcast The Sessions, Renee Paquette recalled her excitement at seeing her friend back in front of a live crowd, and being greeted as a conquering hero.
“I nearly sh** my pants, I almost cried. I was so happy for this moment and the fact it came together the way that it did.”
Continuing on, the former WWE announcer tipped Saraya to make a huge impact.
“Man, what a great moment that was to have Saraya join AEW, what this means for the women’s division. Is there a bigger star to step in that spot?” Paquette said. “We haven’t seen her wrestle in years, and to now have this massive presence for somebody who just lives and breathes pro wrestling? I think she’s going to make a huge difference for them and I’m just so excited. It was such a cool moment, what a pop.”
Paquette continued to praise the star, crediting her with helping redefine women’s wrestling in WWE and paving the way for the women who came after her to climb to the top of the company.
“You think of her being the anti-diva,” Paquette said. “You look at all those matches she was having, I feel like she was the backbone of really kind of changing what this was, what women’s wrestling was and is.
“It’s time to start really showcasing these women and giving that great TV time, great matches, all that.”
Following her shock debut it has been announced that Saraya will be appearing on the September 28th edition of Dynamite to address her wrestling future. This is expected to include on news on whether she will wrestle again after her in-ring career came to an end with a second neck injury in December 2017.
It has been reported that her future is dependant the verdict of AEW doctor Michael Sampson.
H/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.