"Didn't see people talk s**t" - Saraya (fka Paige) opens up on how AEW was viewed backstage during her stint in WWE
Saraya is the latest star to have found herself backstage in both WWE and AEW and recently opened up on whether the alleged rivalry between the two promotions is true or not.
Despite a long tenure with WWE, Saraya decided to throw her lot in with AEW and push to get herself medically cleared to wrestle again. The star recently had her first match since 2018, when she faced Britt Baker at the Full Gear pay-per-view.
During her recent interview with Alfred Konuwa of Forbes, the former Paige recalled WWE wrestlers' reactions to stars jumping ship to AEW.
"When I was backstage in WWE, I didn’t see people talk s**t about AEW. People were just happy that there was another place for people to go. When people would get let go in WWE, we’d be so devastated for people. It would be like someone just died or something like that."
Happy to see @Saraya back in action on @AEW 💥💎 https://t.co/W69FUEiEWS
The star then continued, putting more emphasis on how wrestlers are happier that they now have another place to perform.
"But now, we’re just like ‘you have an opportunity in AEW, now.’ We get happy for people that have a place that they can go that’s just as big, just as Goliath and just as gigantic." (H/T: Forbes)
Saraya recently commented on the slight differences between her persona in AEW versus her Paige persona in WWE and how she wants to further emphasize the differences going forward.
Missed out on last week's AEW Dynamite or Rampage? Catch up on the results here.
Saraya touched on the fan speculation that Sasha Banks will be the mystery opponent AEW has advertised
Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter are set to take on Saraya and a mystery tag-team partner in January 2023. With Sasha Banks' rumored departure from WWE around that time, many fans are speculating that it could be The Boss after all.
5 years ago today
Sasha Banks × SARAYA
( it was Raya's First match after +500 days )
https://t.co/py2bWYm181
During the same interview, Saraya briefly commented on fan speculation while revealing that she won't be disclosing any details.
“I feel like anytime there’s a mystery, everyone always goes straight for Mercedes (laughs). They’re like—straight away—it’s her!” she said. "There’s plenty of women out there, I’m not going to say yes or no to anybody, but there’s a lot of exciting prospects for a potential tag partner.” (H/T: Forbes)
However, it remains to be seen if Sasha Banks is the star that AEW has been advertising, as there are quite a number of other top female stars who could take the position.