Despite turning away from WWE fame, Saraya has become the newest member of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and she’s live in Queens, New York. The former Paige was met with a thunderous ovation by the crowd screaming her name at AEW‘s Dynamite: Grand Slam event.
In 2005, at the age of 13, Britani made her wrestling debut under the name Saraya-Jade Bevis. As Britani Knight, she performed throughout the European independent wrestling scene through 2011, at which point she started working for Shimmer Women Athletes as well. In September 2011, Britani signed a contract with WWE and was assigned to its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), which soon was renamed to NXT.
Welcome to @AEW! @Saraya is ALL ELITE!
Thank you to everyone watching #AEWDynamite Grand Slam TONIGHT! pic.twitter.com/8DUePoOsar
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) September 22, 2022
Paige made her in-ring debut for FCW in January 2012 under the name Saraya. Starting with her first televised match in the territory, she was given the name Paige. By June 2013, Paige had become a fan-favorite as the NXT Women’s Champion after defeating Emma in a tournament final.
Paige’s debut on WWE was historic. After her NXT Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania XXX, Paige shocked fellow superstar and champion AJ Lee on Monday Night Raw in 2014. The result of the match was that Paige would win the Divas Championship on her first night as a member of the main roster, which is often cited as the milestone event that kicked off a new era for women’s wrestling in WWE. The film “Fighting with My Family” features Bevis/Paige and their rise to WWE fame and kept his career up to this point in real-time.
Bevis suffered a neck injury that forced her to retire the following year. WWE allowed some time for her to transition into non-wrestling roles and she retired in 2020. In June 2022, she announced that it was official that she no longer worked with WWE.
