Match Point is an ongoing series at Last Word on Pro Wrestling, where we look at intriguing matchups in indie wrestling and beyond. They may be dream matches, first-time matchups, or hotly anticipated rematches. In this edition, we will focus on the upcoming match between Britt Baker and Saraya at Full Gear 2022.
AEW presents Full Gear live from the Prudential Center in Newark New Jersey on Saturday, November 19th. One key matchup will see the in-ring return of Saraya as she takes on Britt Baker. Saraya had a storied in-ring career in both the United Kingdom and the United States before an in-ring injury forced early retirement in 2018.
Since AEW’s inception Britt Baker has been seen as the face of the women’s division in AEW. The stakes are high in this match for both competitors in what will be a marquee match at one of AEW’s biggest yearly events. Let’s dive into the events that built up to this match.
Britt Baker vs Saraya: What to Know
Baker’s Journey
Baker’s history with AEW goes back to the early days of the promotion. She was the first wrestler to be signed to the women’s division in AEW which was announced shortly after the promotions formation. She participated in and won the first-ever women’s match in the history of AEW, a four-way at Double or Nothing 2019 that consisted of Nyla Rose, Kylie Rae, and Awesome Kong.
Baker went on to win the AEW Women’s Championship at Double or Nothing 2020 and held the title for 290 days, the second-longest reign in the history of the championship. Having participated in multiple marquee matchups that have included lights out and steel cage matches Baker has cemented herself as a cornerstone of the AEW women’s division. With Jaime Hayter and Rebel at her side, Baker has become almost unstoppable in AEW. Now she takes on arguably her biggest challenge inside an AEW ring.
At the 2022 AEW Dynamite Grand Slam edition, Saraya formally known as Paige in WWE made her AEW debut.
Britt Baker had just been in a four-way match against Athena, Serena Deeb, and AEW Interim Women’s Champion Toni Storm. Baker and later Hayter were beating down Storm and Athena after the match when some unknown music hit. At that time Saraya made her AEW debut and the ring quickly cleared out.
Saraya’s Journey
Born into the Knight wrestling family, Saraya’s career started at a young age. Beginning as a young teenager for her family’s promotion WAW her career started in the UK before making her way to Japan and the United States.
Her early career and eventual signing with WWE and their then developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling were part of the documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family which is what the film Fighting With My Family was based on. When FCW was folded into NXT Saraya (then known as Paige) quickly became a cornerstone of the show. She battled Emma at the first-ever NXT Takeover to become the inaugural NXT Women’s Champion. She made her main roster debut the night after WrestleMania 30 where she defeated AJ Lee to become the Divas Champion. Saraya was the only wrestler to ever hold the NXT Women’s Championship and Divas Championship at the same time.
Following the women’s revolution on WWE and as Saraya’s career in WWE progressed she was forced to take time away from the ring following a string of injuries and personal issues that were mentioned by Saraya in a recent promo on Dynamite. She returned to the ring at the end of 2017 to form Absolution with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. During a house show in December of 2017, Paige suffered a neck injury that would appear to end her career. Following some on-screen roles, Paige departed WWE as her contract expired in 2022.
Going All Elite
Saraya quickly made her presence felt in AEW. Following her debut at Grand Slam, she quickly entered this feud with Britt Baker. The Dynamite following Grand Slam saw Saraya address the AEW fans claiming to be the revolution and that AEW was her house now. This brought out Toni Storm, Athena, Willow Nightingale, Skye Blue, and Madison Rayne who were quickly followed by Baker and company. This marked the first time Britt Baker and Saraya exchanged words in an AEW ring.
Things got physical between the two on the third-anniversary edition of Dynamite. The two got physical following a match that Saraya was on commentary for with Baker being in the corner for Jamie Hayter, Penelope Ford, and Serena Deeb. Saraya got the better of the exchange clearing Baker out of the ring. Another brawl between the two broke out on the Tuesday edition of AEW Dynamite on October 18th.
The following week on Dynamite Saraya’s interview with Renee Paquette was broken up by Baker as the two got into a verbal confrontation. A sit down with Renee Paquette, Britt Baker, and Saraya was planned for the following week on Dynamite. Baker, playing mind games with Saraya did not show up to the interview.
The Return to the Ring
Things kicked into the next gear on the November 9th edition of AEW Dynamite. Tony Schiavone interviewed both Saraya and Britt Baker in the middle of the ring. Here Saraya announced that is cleared to return to in-ring action. Baker answered the announcement by calling out the AEW fan base for being fickle and turning on her. Britt reminded Saraya that she built AEW so that “superstars” (referencing what WWE calls their wrestlers and the amount of former WWE wrestlers now in AEW) could have a house. Baker, using Saraya’s catchphrase against her, reminded her that this is Baker’s house.
Saraya responded by harping on the amount of experience that she has in the ring over Baker. She referenced things such as competing in some of the biggest wrestling venues in the world, and the women’s revolution in WWE. All things she completed before Baker entered the industry. It was at that point she laid out the match for Full Gear. Things got physical as Baker attempted to cheap show Saraya, but Saraya got the better of the exchange standing tall in the ring.
Britt Baker and Saraya Collide at Full Gear
Britt Baker feels that AEW is her house and that Saraya is an unwelcomed guest. Saraya wants to prove she belongs in AEW and that it is her house. Baker has more experience with AEW, but Saraya has more wrestling experience. This is a pivotal match for both competitors, and it goes down at AEW Full Gear.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the important news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. In addition, AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday.
