Why was Saraya (fka Paige) suspended by WWE?
Saraya (fka Paige in WWE) made her shocking debut on the latest episode of AEW Dynamite. Although she is a highly decorated wrestler, she has experienced some ups and downs during her storied career.
In August 2016, the Stamford-based company announced that they had suspended Paige for 30 days after she failed to comply with their wellness policy. Although the former champion initially denied these accusations, she failed another drug test a few months later.
In October of the same year, Saraya seemingly violated the company's talent wellness policy for the second time and was suspended for 60 days. The former WWE Superstar claimed in a deleted tweet that they were only prescription drugs for an injury she sustained. However, WWE stated that Paige was using illegal drugs, leading to her suspension.
During an episode of Lilian Garcia's Chasing Glory podcast, the AEW star admitted that she failed the first test because she was late in submitting the prescription but took responsibility for the second. Saraya also added that she first took drugs at 15 but didn't enjoy using them.
"It's not even good, I didn't even enjoy doing it. I didn't enjoy doing drugs. It was wild to me, but you just get caught up in this lifestyle it's like whatever, this is me -- you know? No, it's not me -- no it's far from me. You know I am not that person. I'm that person when I was 15 going, 'this sucks' but I just wanted to be cool. You know what I mean?"
Thanks @Lizzy_Cupcake for capturing me in my prime hiding attire last night 😂 https://t.co/YsVXEvjT5K
Saraya (Paige) confesses she tested positive for WWE's drug test because of depression
In recent years, the first-ever NXT Women's Champion has become more open about her personal struggles.
During an interview with FOX News, Saraya shared that surrounding herself with 'toxic' people at the time didn't help her. The star added that she was in a bad stage in her life and turned to illegal substances.
"Honestly, you surround yourself with toxic people, then that doesn't really help either," admitted Paige. "So what I did because I remember walking through a supermarket and I was, I looked terrible because you know I was, I unfortunately did, I'm very open about this and I love to talk about it just because again it helps others — but I was, I unfortunately, popped the drug test in WWE because I was just going through a bad stage in my life and I was just so depressed that I just turned to something else you know?" said Saraya.
Celebrate the incomparable career of @RealPaigeWWE!
#WWETop10 https://t.co/gQWzmPAKC5
Fortunately for the former Divas Champion, it looks like she has overcome her previous issues as she kickstarts a new chapter of her career in AEW. It will be interesting to see if she will potentially return to the ring under the All Elite Wrestling umbrella.