Paige is slated to become a free agent when her WWE contract expires on July 7th. The former WWE Divas Champion announced the news on Friday in a lengthy statement.
During a recent stream on Twitch, Paige opened up on WWE deciding to not renew her contract. She started out by noting that she knew it was coming for a while.
“Getting the, ‘Hey, can I call you? I’m at SmackDown though.’ I’m like, ‘That leaves no room for negotiation. They’re probably not going to renew it.’”
Paige said she is appreciative of WWE because they helped her a lot and more than just wrestling as they got her a therapist while she was battling alcohol issues and kept paying her after having neck surgery. Paige said she feels like she had so much left to give as someone who can cut a promo and be in a manger role.
“It is what it is. I’m not leaving because I want to, they just don’t want to re-sign my contract. I completely understand. There are no hard feelings.”
She continued, “If you don’t renew the contract then, I don’t think there’s any non-compete clause. That’s not what I was told on the phone. We’re having a normal conversation and it’s like, ‘So, we’re not gonna renew your contract.’ I texted Vince (McMahon), and he texted back. Everyone was respectful about it. It’s a bummer. They are keeping the door open, both Vince and Johnny [John Laurinaitis] said they’ll keep the door open, but that’s usually what companies say.”
Paige noted that does not have a non-compete clause and if she does ever come back to WWE then that would make it much more special.
The former WWE Divas Champion has been retired from in-ring action since 2017 due to spinal stenosis but has teased returning to the ring if medically cleared. Paige added that she hasn’t been medically cleared to wrestle again, but her neck feels good these days and she thinks she can wrestle.
H/T to Fightful for the transcription
