"Absolute dogs**t" - Paige says she disliked the way WWE treated several superstars
Paige believes WWE should have made changes to women’s wrestling several years before the Divas Revolution began.
On February 23, 2015, the two-time Divas Champion participated in a 30-second tag team match alongside Emma against The Bella Twins on RAW. Following the show, the hashtag #GiveDivasAChance trended on social media for three days.
Paige appeared on the latest episode of “The Bellas Podcast” with Brie and Nikki Bella. The British superstar did not hold back while reflecting on the way WWE used to present women.
“You guys got treated like absolute dogs**t,” she said. “I’m like, ‘This cannot happen anymore. This is so outrageous.’ I remember in my family’s documentary they were still filming when I first got over here, I said, ‘I don’t want the women to be viewed as pee breaks anymore,’ because you’re not. Everyone wants to wrestle, everyone wants to be able to put on these matches.”
.@RealPaigeWWE praises @WWEDustyRhodes as a guiding light in her WWE career.
"He would say 'Be yourself, baby'."
After an argument, he dubbed her his "porcelain princess".
These stories are so special. All Paige fans need to see this.
#Starrcast @StarrcastEvents https://t.co/M53HfKAcRX
WWE began dedicating more time to women’s storylines after the RAW tag team match. In 2016, the company also stopped referring to female superstars as “Divas.”
Paige thinks women were just as good as men in WWE
Paige & The Bella Twins https://t.co/J7PHQTqw41
The likes of Emma and Paige were among the standout female stars in WWE’s NXT developmental system in 2013 and 2014. At the time, women were given more opportunities on Triple H’s NXT brand than they were on Vince McMahon’s main roster.
Recalling her mindset back then, the 29-year-old added that she wanted more focus on women’s wrestling and less emphasis on their appearances.
“You ladies were already wrestling as good as the men,” Paige continued. “You just weren’t given the chance, and I said that to everybody. They weren’t wrestling to be these Divas that just want to be oversexualised. That’s just what they’re given and they’re trying to make the most of what they’re given. I was like, ‘If they had the same opportunities that we kind of took, it would be a whole different story.’”
The inaugural NXT Women’s Champion was forced to retire from in-ring competition in 2018 due to a neck injury. She left WWE last month after almost 11 years with the company.
Do you think the Divas Revolution/Women’s Evolution began with the RAW tag team match? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Please credit “The Bellas Podcast” and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.