Paige Ending In-Ring Wrestling Career For WWE Following Latest Injury

PWInsider reports that Paige was notified by WWE on Monday at the RAW taping that she will not be cleared to return to wrestling after her latest injury. The belief now is that she is finished as an in-ring wrestler. The situation is being compared to that of Edge, who was also medically disqualified from wrestling for WWE. Paige, who is only 25, was hoping to have 2018 be her comeback year after missing seventeen months following a neck injury suffered in June of 2016 that led to neck surgery and then another injury suffered late last year.

Paige’s latest injury was suffered on 12/28/17 at a show in Uniondale, Long Island where she had to stop in the middle of a match where she was teaming with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville against Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Mickie James after taking a bump to her back. The match was stopped and a stretcher was brought out, though she eventually was able to walk out on her own power. The belief at the time was that she had suffered a stinger, but further testing led to WWE’s decision to not clear her for return as an in-ring performer.

Paige was scheduled to be part of the Women’s Royal Rumble match on 1/28 but she will no longer be part of the match and will now likely work for WWE in a non-wrestling capacity similar to Daniel Bryan’s current role. WWE management likes her and is likely to continue to involve her somehow. She has had a role on Total Divas in the past as well. WWE could also possibly involve her in future film projects or have her become a coach. She’ll most certainly be involved in the promotion of WWE Studios’ upcoming Fighting With My Family film which The Rock is producing, since that film is based on a British documentary about Paige’s family. One of the characters in the film is based on Paige. Paige has also been branding herself as “Saraya” with the help of former WWE star Rosa Mendes.

Paige has had a chaotic few years in WWE marked by neck surgery, WWE Wellness Policy suspensions, leaked sex tapes, and a wild relationship with Alberto El Patron that included an incident at the Orlando International Airport where local authorities determined that there was enough evidence to prosecute her for domestic violence battery (though the District Attorney’s office ended up not moving forward with that). She returned to the ring in late 2017 as part of the Absolution group with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville before being injured again.

Paige has been in the wrestling business since age 13 and was a breakout star for WWE in NXT, contributing heavily to the in-ring-ability focus of the current WWE women’s division. She remains the only wrestler to hold both the NXT Women’s Title and WWE Women’s Title at the same time. She’s also the youngest WWE Women’s Champion ever (she won the title at age 21).