Four years after claiming her first WWE Divas title in the very same building, Paige was in the Smoothie King Center on the post-WrestleMania Monday Night Raw to announce her retirement from wrestling.
After a throwaway victory for stable-mate Mandy Rose, the Anti-Diva took centre stage to make her valediction. Visibly emotional, Paige admitted that the rumours are true, and that her recurring neck injuries have effectively ended her in-ring career.
The tearful Brit thanked every member of WWE’s women’s division, as well as Daniel Bryan and Edge for offering inspiration and support during her current troubles. After mentioning that the latter demonstrated that there’s life beyond wrestling, Paige mused that she too will have to find “something else” now her in-ring career is over.
Paige made her main-roster debut the night after WrestleMania XXX, claiming AJ Lee’s Divas title to go along with her NXT strap. She went on to hold the butterfly belt on two occasions, but injuries forced her to look on from the sidelines as the company spearheaded their ‘Women’s Revolution’.
WWE have been heavily promoting a Stephen Merchant flick based on Paige’s kin over WrestleMania weekend. ‘Fighting with my Family’, which stars The Rock, Lena Headey, and Nick Frost, is due for release on 14 September. It’d be cynical to suggest Paige might make a miraculous comeback just in time for the premiere, but you never know with wrestling.
