Saraya reveals what Vince McMahon told her backstage just before she retired

Saraya is part of the AEW roster, but the second-generation star made her name in WWE. The UK grappler's history-making run in the global juggernaut included an unfortunate retirement, which ended up being unique for multiple reasons. The former Paige recently revealed how Vince McMahon played a key role in her retirement speech and how she felt about his efforts.

The Anti-Diva grew up in the Knight family of the UK wrestling scene, debuting in 2005 at age 13. WWE came calling in September 2011, and the former Paige later made history as the youngest female champion in company history. A tragic in-ring injury on December 27, 2017, forced her retirement on April 9, 2018, during an emotional segment on the RAW after WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans.

Saraya recently appeared on the Lightweights podcast and was asked about her retirement while in WWE. The 32-year-old recalled being devastated because things in the women's division were improving. The inaugural NXT Women's Champion then revealed why she was so appreciative of McMahon when it came to her initial in-ring retirement.

"You know what the wonderful thing is, though? Is that women don't usually get to say goodbye, right? They don't get the retirement speeches, they sometimes get a social media post and that's it. Kharma [Awesome Kong] did it because she was having a baby and she was like, 'I need to take time away,' or whatever, so she got to do that, but no one ever got to do that. So, Vince was great, and he told me, 'Don't tell anyone you've retired yet,' and this was January," she said. [From 33:38 to 34:05]

Saraya continued:

"Vince said save it for RAW after WrestleMania, and that was in New Orleans. That's where I debuted, and that's why I wanted to retire there, but he gave me the opportunity on the biggest RAW of the year, to be able to say goodbye, and I'm just (...) I was so thankful for that, it was just (...) it was great. I never expected to get to say goodbye for something like that." [From 34:06 to 34:23]

Saraya worked several non-wrestling roles before leaving WWE on June 10, 2022. She debuted for AEW that September and finally returned to the ring at Full Gear 2022 with a win over Britt Baker. She has competed in 27 matches since then.

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Saraya's AEW contract will expire soon

Saraya has been away from AEW since October 8, 2024. Her status has been up in the air as she worked just 11 matches in 2024, down from 15 in 2023.

The Glampire recently revealed that she was close to returning, also telling TMZ that her AEW contract was set to expire in September. The former AEW Women's World Champion went viral for interesting remarks on how she would be open to returning to WWE.

The former Paige last wrestled on the October 8 Title Tuesday edition of Dynamite, competing in a number one contender's four-way match against Jamie Hayter, Nyla Rose, and winner Willow Nightingale. This was two weeks after her last singles match, which was a loss to Hayter on the Grand Slam Collision, held under Saraya's Rules.

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If you use quotes from the article's first half, please credit Lightweights and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.