Why is Paige not wrestling in WWE anymore?
Paige is still under a WWE contract, but it's been almost four years since she last wrestled. In that time, she has had a small on-screen role and has been sparsely utilized.
It's surprising to think that Paige's main roster run as an in-ring performer lasted only three-and-a-half years, and that's not including the time she spent recovering from injury. She seems to have made more of an impact on the women who came after her, such as the Four Horsewomen: Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Bayley.
So why hasn't the British star, one of the most important women in WWE over the past decade, wrestled?
Paige isn't wrestling under the WWE banner anymore as she has formally retired from in-ring competition. During a live event in December 2017, an unfortunate accident from Sasha Banks led to the former Absolution leader's neck being severely damaged. She hasn't wrestled since.
On the RAW after WrestleMania 34 in April 2018, Paige formally announced her retirement from in-ring competition. She took up the role of SmackDown General Manager from Daniel Bryan soon after. Incidentally, Bryan had only recently started wrestling again following a two-year retirement.
Many fans were surprised that Paige wasn't on the chopping block for two reasons - she isn't an active in-ring competitor anymore and she was also vocal about her disappointment and anger regarding WWE's Third Party Ban as her Twitch channel had started to take off.
However, Dave Meltzer said the reason WWE didn't cut her because her name still held a lot of value and it was worth keeping her employed.
However, Paige revealed that her WWE contract expires in June 2022, and there are questions as to whether she will stick around.
"I'm FREAKING out... I'm 21 years old with a championship in @WWE!!! What the hell?!"
@RealPaigeWWE remembers the moments after she won her first @WWENXT Women's Championship. https://t.co/ytsNinVPm8
Can Paige follow the route of retired legends who returned to the ring?
I’m not done yet. 💪🏼
It's going to be interesting to see what happens when Paige's WWE contract expires. If Paige is to hypothetically sign with WWE, there might be two significant clauses.
The first could allow her to have a Twitch Channel, something that WWE and Adam Cole seemingly couldn't agree upon. The second is a possibility for her in-ring return.
Paige has stated that the likes of Daniel Bryan, Edge, and Christian have inspired her, and she has teased a return on social media.