Saraya is looking forward to her return to the ring, but she knows it will be a high-pressure situation.
The former Paige last wrestled in December 2017, as a neck injury forced her to step away from the ring and officially retire in 2018. She stayed with WWE in non-wrestling roles until her contract expired in July 2022. Saraya then signed with All Elite Wrestling and debuted on AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam in September. She has been feuding with Britt Baker since her arrival, and after she shared the news that she has been cleared to compete, the former WWE Divas Champion announced that she will face Baker at AEW Full Gear.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Saraya made it clear that she’s excited to wrestle again, but there will be a lot of people watching the bout, so she’ll be facing plenty of pressure to deliver. She noted that people will be watching for a number of reasons.
“I’m dying to get back in the ring. I’m excited that it’s not too far away,” Saraya said. “I know that there’s gonna be a lot of eyes on that match, so there’s a lot of pressure to make sure I put on a good enough match, where everyone’s just like okay, welcome back, we like that she’s back.
“But there’s gonna be a lot of nervous people watching me too because I feel like a lot of people who aren’t haters, they’re just worried about me, they’re gonna be watching. Then you have the haters on top of that that just want to see me fail or her, are gonna be watching. Then the people that are just happy that I’m back are gonna be watching.”
When Van Vliet said her first bump back will be scary, Saraya admitted that she’ll be under a microscope at the pay-per-view, as everyone will be analyzing her the entire time she’s in the ring. She noted that she doesn’t intend to check her phone because she’ll be worried enough as it is.
“For everybody, everybody watching, everybody in general, it’s gonna be a big deal,” Saraya said. “I’m gonna be under a microscope that day, and everything I’m gonna be doing is gonna be scrutinized. I’m fully expecting at this point, after the match, I’m not even gonna look at social media.
“I’m not even gonna have it on my phone because I’m already too much in my head to the point where I just want it to be good, and I have to focus on making sure I keep myself self, make sure that Britt is safe, and just the pressure of having a match. It’s just wild to me. It’s a beautiful story, but it makes me nervous [laughs].”
Saraya previously discussed her decision to join AEW. Check out her comments here.
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