Paige has described her current WWE run as potentially her final chapter in professional wrestling, and says she is approaching it with a focus on completing the milestones she was forced to miss the first time around.
Speaking on What’s Your Story with Stephanie McMahon, Paige opened up about the emotional weight of having been sidelined during some of the most historic moments in the women’s division, including the first women’s Royal Rumble match, which she watched from gorilla position having already been retired.
“I had to be backstage in Gorilla when the Royal Rumble just started, and no one knew I was retired by that point, you know. And so I just sat there and I was just really sad. It was bittersweet. I was happy that the girls finally got this big match that we didn’t have before. But I was sad because I wasn’t a part of it, and I didn’t know if I was ever going to be a part of it again. And so to have this moment where I’m back in WWE, my neck is good, I’m wrestling again, and there’s opportunities for me to be a part of these stipulation matches. I mean, man, I’m really excited. I’m really excited for the next couple of years,” Paige said.
She also framed her overall mindset for this return, suggesting it may be the last time she competes professionally.
“I came in this time with a mindset where I just want to be happy and have fun, because I don’t think I’m going to be wrestling after this run. I want to just enjoy my time that I have here, embrace absolutely everything, just enjoy the journey. That’s all I care about. But I do want to finally be able to be in the Royal Rumble that I got to not be a part of and do the Elimination Chambers and do all these stipulation matches that were not around,” Paige said.
Paige returned at WrestleMania 42 to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships alongside Brie Bella, replacing an injured Nikki Bella in the fatal four-way match. She was a central figure in WWE’s women’s revolution in 2015 before a December 2017 neck injury ended her career at the time.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit What’s Your Story with Stephanie McMahon with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
