Jim Cornette questions WWE for dropping the ball with former 2-time Divas Champion
Jim Cornette was baffled as to why WWE decided not to let Saraya (fka Paige) wrestle again.
Before embarking on an AEW run on September 21, 2022, Saraya had a long and iconic career with WWE. She was the inaugural NXT Women's Champion and a two-time Divas Champion.
The former Paige retired from in-ring competition on April 9, 2018, due to a neck injury from a live event in 2017. She then took on various roles, including SmackDown Live general manager, Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) manager and WWE Backstage contributor.
Speaking on The Jim Cornette Experience, Cornette felt that the 30-year-old changing her name from Paige to Saraya made her somewhat unrecognizable.
"If Saraya had been cleared by a medical professional that I trusted and that knew what the f**k he was doing, yeah I'd keep her because she's got a big.... well, she used to have a big name. She not only changed her name, she changed her face. So now, I'm starting to talk myself out of this so if I keep her then she was one of the biggest stars in women's wrestling but under another name so I can't advertise that name. And if I put her picture on the poster, it doesn't look like her anymore when she had that name so people won't really recognize her." [from 27:08 - 27:50]
The veteran felt that the Stamford-based promotion dropped the ball on Saraya despite having neck problems, as she was one of the biggest names in the industry.
"And I don't know whether the f**k that her neck is bad because she was obviously not only a star for the biggest company in the world but also they made a movie about her and they still wouldn't put her back in the ring. So unless she's an announcer, I think she's got to go," Cornette said. [from 27:51 - 28:09]
Check out the clips from this episode:
Former WWE Superstar Saraya is set to appear on AEW Dynamite this Wednesday
The animosity between Saraya and Britt Baker has been going on for weeks. Mind games were also prevalent when Baker purposely missed the sit-down interview by Renee Paquette with the former Paige.
During her conversation with Paquette, Saraya disclosed that she would address frequent rumors about her future as a wrestler for this week's episode of Dynamite.
Will @realBrittBaker show up and come face-to-face with @Saraya when #AEWDynamite is LIVE from the @AgganisArena in Boston?
Find out on this week's Wednesday Night #AEW Dynamite at 8pm ET / 7pm CT on @tbsnetwork https://t.co/cFF4Vsh90z
This could happen in her upcoming segment as she will be face-to-face with The Doctor, which will happen this Wednesday at the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts.
Do you believe WWE dropped the ball on Saraya? Sound off in the comments section.
Please credit The Jim Cornette Experience and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.