WWE Rumors: Is Paige Leaving WWE Soon? Creative Has Nothing For Ex-Divas Champ After Injury, Report Says
For the past several months, rumors have swirled regarding the possibility of Paige leaving WWE. And while nothing has been confirmed as of yet, a new report suggests that WWE’s creative team doesn’t have any plans for the 24-year-old former Divas Champion once she returns from her injury-related absence.
According to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscriber-only), Paige might not have much to look forward to once she’s fully recovered from her neck surgery, unless there’s a sudden change in WWE’s plans. That means she might not be placed in any important storylines, assuming she remains on the Monday Night RAW brand, which recently saw Alexa Bliss and Mickie James join a women’s lineup that still includes RAW Women’s Champion Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Nia Jax.
The Wrestling Observer added that “everything that’s happened” with Paige has left WWE no choice but to keep her out of the top women’s storylines once she gets back into the ring. And while there is a chance WWE’s creative team members could change their mind, the report suggests that the only thing that could “save” Paige is the movie Fighting with My Family, which is being co-produced by WWE Studios and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The film is an autobiographical look at the U.K.’s Knight wrestling family, and will star Nick Frost and Lena Headey as Paige’s parents, Ricky and Saraya Knight, and young British actress Florence Pugh as Paige.
As for the possible reasons why Paige may want to leave WWE instead of ever getting back into their ring after she fully heals up, according to the Wrestling Observer, is her relationship with fiancee Alberto El Patron, or Alberto Del Rio as he was known during his two WWE runs. The couple is reportedly buying a new home, and if Paige returns to WWE, that’s going to have her touring with the company, potentially putting a strain on her relationship with her fiancee. While recovering from her injury, Paige had regularly traveled with El Patron/Del Rio, oftentimes attending his matches to show her support.
At the moment, it isn’t sure whether Paige wants to leave WWE, or if she wishes to honor the remainder of her contract. But WrestlingNews.co observed that Alberto El Patron’s recent rants about Paul “Triple H” Levesque and other high-ranking WWE officials may “put her in an awkward spot.” Although Paige had tweeted El Patron/Del Rio’s admittedly drunken Periscope rants against WWE, she was often described as looking embarrassed or uncomfortable every time Alberto would say something bad about the company she works for.
Paige on Why #WWE Suspended Her and If She Does Drugs, HHH Backstage at NXT Tapings (Photo) https://t.co/D8BE5xlBXD pic.twitter.com/TS8qX7io8u
— WrestleZone (@WRESTLEZONEcom) April 21, 2017
All in all, this new development appears to be the latest chapter in a saga where Paige has fallen so far from the heights she reached upon joining WWE’s main roster in 2014. She had, after all, won the WWE Divas Championship from AJ Lee on her first night on the main roster, and been a regular contender for the title, if not a title holder, up until the last few months of 2015.
Apart from allegations that Paige developed attitude problems after entering into a relationship with Alberto El Patron, the Norwich native has also dealt with nagging injuries and other issues. There was also the hacking scandal in March, where several sexually-explicit photos and videos of hers were leaked out to the public. Although Paige had offended many wrestling fans by striking a provocative pose next to her NXT Women’s Championship belt in one of the photos, Bleacher Report wrote in March that WWE had no plans to punish her for the photo and video leak.
Should Paige leave WWE as some rumors have suggested, WrestlingNews.co speculated that WWE’s “Anti-Diva” may likely be courted by Impact Wrestling, which would allow her to join fiancee Alberto Del Rio in the same company.
[Featured Image by WWE]
