Saraya reveals what condition Vince McMahon made before moving her to WWE main roster
WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon has cultivated a reputation for being very particular with his booking decisions. According to Saraya, the 77-year-old wouldn't allow her on the main roster without purple gear.
The Anti-Diva's run as Paige in WWE elevated her to superstardom, and she quickly became a fan favorite. After a very successful NXT run, Saraya quickly jumped to the main roster and captured gold in her first match.
During her appearance on the Mark Hoke Show, Saraya recalled her first WWE Divas Championship win and Triple H's role in making that happen.
“Triple H was really wonderful with us in NXT. It was FCW then he took over and named it NXT. So I just won the NXT Women’s Championship and it was the first-ever female match that was on the Network."
@FiteTV Paige making her WWE/RAW debut by winning the divas title from A J Lee! https://t.co/sVssqnP39H
Saraya continued, revealing that The Game pushed for her main roster call-up.
“It was Triple H who was the one like pitching for me to go on the main roster and Vince (McMahon) was like, ‘Fine! But she has to wear purple’ and that was it. So I had to get my purple wrestling gear and I slowly transitioned back into the black again eventually and he didn’t notice again.” (H/T: POST Wrestling).
Unfortunately, Saraya's WWE run would end up being cut short when she injured her neck. Following this, she spent years signed to the promotion and claims that her final years worsened her depression.
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Saraya also revealed that she was largely inspired by WWE legend Lita
Lita was a trailblazer for women in pro wrestling, even amongst the likes of Chyna and Ivory. The Queen of Xtreme's look and in-ring style was vastly different, and many modern-day female wrestlers were clearly inspired by her.
During the same interview, The Anti-Diva acknowledged that she was the only "pale, goth chick" in the promotion at the time but that she was actually inspired by Lita.
“I feel like there was only one of me down in NXT at the time. The pale, goth chick who wore a lot of black and studs and stuff like that. But at the time, I was thinking about Lita when I was dressing like that. I love Lita. That’s who inspired me to be myself, and my mother of course." (H/T: POST Wrestling).
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Saraya's WWE run continues to be praised even today, and many fans believe that she was potentially the "Lita" of her generation. However, her continued health issues might, unfortunately, cut her career short, as she revealed, meaning her AEW run will likely be her last.