Paige spent years believing her in-ring career was finished. Being back in a WWE ring, she says, still does not feel entirely real.
Speaking on the Nikki and Brie Show at Fanatics Fest alongside AJ Lee, Nikki and Brie Bella, Paige said a comeback was never something she counted on.
“When it comes to myself, I never thought I would ever wrestle again. I was at a stage where my neck was done, my career was done. That was it for Paige,” Paige said. “So I never thought, eight years later, I’ll be back in a WWE ring on a stage with you three ladies, like it was 10 years ago.”
Paige, who retired from in-ring competition in 2018 after a neck injury, said the return has been better than she could have pictured, and gave the current roster its due.
“It’s magical,” Paige said. “The new generation of women are so great. They’re so intense in the ring. They wrestle their asses off, wrestle rings around me, I tell you that. But I just feel very fortunate that I get to be in the ring with this new generation.”
What has stood out most to her is the reception backstage.
“Being backstage, with everything so new, the locker room so fresh, there’s so many new faces, but everyone is so nice, everyone is so sweet, all the girls are so welcoming,” Paige said. “They all end up telling us, oh, I watched you in Total Divas, I watched you guys, and it’s really cool. You’re like, wow, I even made an impact on the girls behind the scenes.”
She framed the whole thing around what she and her peers built during the Divas era.
“Who would have thought in the Divas era, us four would make such an impact that we’re able to come back 10 years later and everyone be happy to see us,” Paige said.
Paige made her return at WrestleMania and, with AJ Lee, is a WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion. She also underscored where her heart has always been, reflecting on her run in AEW.
“I did go to AEW, and I did have a great time there, but my heart wasn’t in it, and I feel like you could see that in my performance,” Paige said. “I’m a WWE girl. I’ve been there since I was 18 years old. I gave my neck for this company. I grew up here.”
