After believing that her career was over and she would never wrestle again, Saraya has defied doctors, logic and her own body to not only return, but return victorious.
Saraya walked into AEW at Dynamite Grand Slam and instantly crossed paths with Britt Baker. Both women had previously hinted that they would like to square off on social media, but neither thought it was truly possible until just a few weeks ago.
Saraya Pins Brit Baker
During the opening lock up, fans chanted “Welcome back” just to add to the emotion in the air. Saraya was visibly moved as she made her way to the ring to a rapturous reception.
Despite being cleared to wrestle no one quite knew what to expect from the star, but within minutes she had taken a Neck-breaker from the ring apron to the floor. This set the tone for the match as Baker focused on the former WWE’s star’s neck, but the action was far from being all one way.
Saraya got in some strong offence of her own, often taking the fight to her rival through sheer force of will. The momentum continued to swing back and forth, but this night was always going to belong to the returning star.
After a devastating knee strike, the former WWE star hit two Ram-Paige’s (Although commentary didn’t announce the move with a name) to land an emotional win.
Prior to stepping into the ring against Baker, Saraya hadn’t wrestled since December 27th at a WWE live event. On that occasion she formed part of a six-woman tag team match that came to an early conclusion after being injured only minutes into the action.
Despite being forced to retire, the first-ever NXT Women’s Champion remained with WWE until July 2022, performing in a number of on-screen roles, most famously as SmackDown General Manager.