{"id":133093,"date":"2025-04-01T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T12:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=133093"},"modified":"2025-04-01T10:41:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T14:41:59","slug":"the-paige-effect-should-wwe-should-bring-saraya-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/04\/01\/the-paige-effect-should-wwe-should-bring-saraya-home\/","title":{"rendered":"The Paige Effect: Should WWE Bring Saraya Home?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The wrestling world is buzzing once again with the possibility of a Paige (now known as Saraya) return to WWE. After her <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/03\/27\/saraya-departs-aew-wwe-return\/\" target=\"_self\">recent exit from AEW<\/a>, where she made a compelling yet underwhelming comeback, fans have taken to social media, urging Triple H and WWE\u2019s creative team to bring her back to the company that made her a household name.<\/p>\n<p>The demand is not just a nostalgic cry but a testament to her impact on women&#8217;s wrestling. Paige was one of the pioneers of WWE\u2019s Women\u2019s Evolution, and her return would not only boost fan engagement but also inject much-needed star power into a division that, while talented, lacks compelling narratives.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Paige\u2019s WWE Legacy Still Holds Weight<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s not forget that <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/09\/12\/longest-reigning-nxt-womens-champion\/\" target=\"_self\">Paige was one of WWE\u2019s NXT Women\u2019s Champion<\/a> and, at just 21, won the Divas Championship on her main roster debut. She brought an alternative edge to women\u2019s wrestling, breaking away from the model-like, diva-centric aesthetic that once dominated WWE\u2019s women\u2019s division.<\/p>\n<p>Despite her career being tragically cut short in 2017 due to a neck injury, Paige remained a crucial figure in WWE as a manager and on-screen authority figure. However, the moment she was medically cleared to wrestle again, it was clear that WWE wasn\u2019t willing to take the risk, leading to her departure in 2022. AEW gave her a second chance in the ring, but did they really utilize her potential?<\/p>\n<h2><strong>AEW Saraya Stint: A Mixed Bag<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When Saraya debuted in AEW, it felt like a game-changer. The hype was undeniable, and fans were excited to see her wrestle again. However, her run in AEW failed to reach the heights many expected.<\/p>\n<p>She won the AEW Women\u2019s Championship, but her reign was largely forgettable, and the creative direction never seemed to match her star power. Unlike WWE, which builds larger-than-life personas, AEW often struggles with long-term character development.<\/p>\n<p>Saraya went from being the revolutionary force in WWE to just another competitor in AEW\u2019s already-crowded women\u2019s division. Now that she\u2019s a free agent, the logical next step should be a WWE return\u2014if both parties are willing.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why WWE Needs Paige Now More Than Ever<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>WWE\u2019s women\u2019s division is in an interesting place. While there\u2019s no shortage of talent &#8211; Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, and Bayley are holding down the fort &#8211; there is a lack of compelling storylines beyond title chases. A Paige return could shake things up, offering a veteran presence and a unique character dynamic that the division currently lacks.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Triple H, who now leads WWE\u2019s creative direction, has a strong track record of pushing wrestlers he believes in. Paige was once one of his top projects in NXT, so the idea of him bringing her back, especially with WWE\u2019s improved medical policies, isn\u2019t far-fetched.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Will WWE Pull the Trigger?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The question now is whether WWE sees the same potential that fans do. Saraya is a proven name, and if there\u2019s ever a time for WWE to capitalize on nostalgia while making a legitimate creative move, it\u2019s now.<\/p>\n<p>Bringing Paige home isn\u2019t just about fan service\u2014it\u2019s about unfinished business.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<em>Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a> for more on Paige, Saraya, WWE, and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Netflix<\/a>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">USA Network<\/a>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The CW<\/a>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tubi<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A&amp;E<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments) and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Peacock<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Main Event as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube<\/a>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/events\/1773457579022155776?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WWE Speed<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The wrestling world is buzzing once again with the possibility of a Paige (now known as Saraya) return to WWE. After her recent exit from AEW, where she made a compelling yet underwhelming comeback, fans have taken to social media, urging Triple H and WWE\u2019s creative team to bring her back to the company that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5456,"featured_media":133140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4677,2192,4,3],"tags":[7208,559,194,8450,47],"class_list":["post-133093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-female-wrestlers","tag-nxt-womens-championship","tag-paige","tag-saraya","tag-wwe"],"modified_by":"Marilee Gallagher, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5456"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133093"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133151,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133093\/revisions\/133151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}