Did ex-UFC star Paige VanZant show interest in joining WWE before AEW?
Following the 9th March edition of Dynamite, AEW confirmed former UFC star Paige VanZant had signed with the promotion.
VanZant appeared in the main event match as Sammy Guevara defended the TNT Championship against Scorpio Sky. She attacked Guevara's valet and real-life girlfriend, Tay Conti, at ringside, before signing her AEW contract on top of Conti's body. The distraction played a massive part in Sammy losing the title to Scorpio.
It wasn't the first time the mixed martial arts specialist had appeared for Tony Khan's promotion. In September 2021, VanZant showed up with members from the American Top Team on Dynamite. The following week on Rampage, she attacked The Demo God Chris Jericho.
There we go. Paige VanZant finally signs the contract. #AEWDynamite https://t.co/NNo16CQM0i
The former Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship boxer was also booked for a feud with Brandi Rhodes at the turn of the year. However, this was ultimately dropped when the latter and her husband Cody Rhodes departed the company following the expiration of their contracts.
So did former UFC star Paige VanZant show interest in joining WWE before AEW?
In February 2021, Paige revealed that there had been communications between herself and WWE. In an interview with Chris Van Vliet on his INSIGHT podcast, VanZant disclosed that she might move to WWE if she could commit to it one hundred percent.
PVZ also confirmed that she had in fact visited the WWE Performance Center to take a look around the facility.
Paige VanZant said that the door was open for her to join WWE
Paige VanZant says she is "definitely interested” in moving to WWE, calls a fight with Ronda Rousey “interesting,” per @TMZ_Sports ble.ac/2mzIpRJ https://t.co/u1x19G70SM
In the interview with Chris Van Vliet in 2021, VanZant explained that the door had been left open for her if she wished to join Vince McMahon's promotion in the future.
"I get asked about WWE a lot… I think it would be something I’d be very good at. Because I have the best of both worlds. I was a Dancer, I used to like the entertainment and showmanship side of it… and then the combat sports world, obviously goes into the WWE. But I don’t know that it’s something I could do, both at the same time. I feel like I would want to do that 100 percent. So maybe it’s something that after I’m done fighting in a cage and in a ring, that kind of stuff, maybe I’ll go over to there. But we’ll see, the door’s definitely open," Paige said.
Of course, PVZ did not end up signing for WWE and instead signed on the dotted line for All Elite Wrestling. She will be a massive asset for the women's division and can contribute to the growth of the locker room with her expertise.
What are your thoughts on Paige VanZant signing for AEW? Let us know in the comments section below!