Though Saraya is now All Elite, a new report revealed that she was offered an on-screen role in WWE under Triple H’s regime!
On July 7th, Saraya’s WWE contract expired making her a free agent for the first time in over a decade. Despite remining under contract with WWE, the star hadn’t wrestled since late 2017 as a result of a serious neck injury which forced her to announce her retirement.
Then, at AEW Dynamite Grand Slam on September 28th, the British star shocked the world when she made her surprise AEW debut, officially cementing her as All Elite. Though there was initial speculation about her role in the company, it was reported on October 7th that she’s been cleared for in-ring competition. She’s currently feuding with Britt Baker on television.
While Saraya insists that she never discussed an in-ring return with WWE prior to signing with AEW, a new report from Fightful Select sheds light on the fact that WWE did want the star to return under Triple H’s new regime, and even offered her an on-screen role.
According to the report, the former Paige was offered the role of General Manager about a month after her previous deal expired, which would be just after Triple H came into power in the wake of Vince McMahon’s retirement. The report also notes that those in high positions in the company told her that if she wanted to return to the ring, they would make that happen. However, the company did not take steps to have her medically cleared, and she went through three extensive health checks to get cleared on her own.
Fightful Select states that prior to the new regime gaining power, WWE had no interest in bringing Saraya back to the company, and wouldn’t even sign off on X-rays to check on her ability to wrestle again.
The report goes on to say that the new regime did make efforts to get Saraya to re-sign with the company, and Triple H himself was said to have been “shocked” that her deal wasn’t renewed under Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis. However, the fact that WWE hampered her ability to do outside projects without taking a deep cut as well as other considerations led to her signing with AEW instead. Some sources that Fightful spoke with said her deal was “shockingly low” and her outside projects were heavily affected.