A lot has been made over WWE Superstar Paige lately. She has been with WWE for years now, since she was a teen in fact. Although she was more than ready to be on the main roster by even 19 years of age due to her experience before WWE, they wanted to keep her in developmental as long as possible because they knew she would be around for years to come. Now 24-years-old, Paige still has a long time left in her career. However, it may not be with WWE.
According to recent reports, WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio decided to opt out of his WWE contract due to a clause allowing him to do so in the month of September. Both Paige and Del Rio have been in a relationship for the last number of months, but WWE officials have not been happy with it whatsoever. Triple H has not been a fan of Del Rio for quite some time and was against bringing him back at all, but WWE Chairman Vince McMahon overruled him and decided there would be a big use for Del Rio.
Plans were pretty good for the former World Champion, as he would be paired up with Paul Heyman and be pushed as one of the top Latino stars in the WWE. However, all of those plans came down due to Triple H who saw attitude issues with Del Rio, and was able to convince his father-in-law of the major issues Del Rio could cause, especially at contract time. Some believe Del Rio’s attitude issues have rubbed off on Paige and that he has been a bad influence on her.
It was reported a little while back that WWE even told Paige she needed to break up with Alberto Del Rio or she could lose her job with WWE. While some experts believe she was not told this directly, they still believe it was implied heavily. The idea of Del Rio being a bad influence does seem to make sense. Outside of the attitude issues, both were suspended last month for drug violations, and Paige happens to still remain under suspension currently. Interestingly, she got the news on her 24th birthday. This was clearly WWE sending a message big time.
Paige had been out due to an injury that many felt could require surgery, but it was unconfirmed. The fact is, however, WWE is not happy with Del Rio and Paige being together, and it seems Paige may be tired of it. According to Wrestling Inc , Paige has hired legal representation to help her get out of her contract with the WWE. She is apparently under contract until 2019, and any time missed injured will just be added to her time, as WWE has the right to freeze contracts until a Superstar returns. Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio know all about this.
That means if she missed the rest of the year with an injury, she may not be able to leave WWE until the year 2020. She seemed happy with her role in WWE for years, which is why she signed such a long deal when re-sign time came about. However, the relationship with Alberto Del Rio has seemingly changed her mind a good bit on wanting to remain with the WWE. Most felt that the moment Del Rio left, Paige would want to get out as well.
The problem with all of this is that relationships in wrestling have been known to fluctuate. They change all the time, with men and women getting together for a time and then breaking up a bit after. Paige and Alberto Del Rio have not been together for even a year yet, so it would seem odd for Paige to throw her entire career with the WWE away just for someone that could always be out of her life at any point.
However, the fact that Paige may have felt that she was told how to live her life by WWE may be a good reason for her to want to get out of her deal. Paige does not seem like the kind of person you want to try and control. While she’s more than happy to do business when it comes to the ring, it is another thing entirely when telling her she needs to end things with someone seems to be happy with.
Again, many feel that the Paige and Alberto Del Rio relationship is toxic and that it has changed Paige. Some think otherwise in this case, but it should be noted that Paige never had issues with the WWE until Del Rio came along and she certainly didn’t fail any drug test for any reason either. That said, maybe WWE feels they’re trying to protect Paige by having her end things with someone before it becomes too serious and tough to do. Either way, she does not seem to want things to end and seems willing to leave WWE over it.
[Image via WWE]