Paige finally got the WrestleMania return she’d been waiting for. She just wishes nobody had known about it beforehand.
Speaking on The Nikki & Brie Show, Paige opened up about how her surprise WWE comeback actually came together, revealing it all started with an unexpected phone call from Triple H. What was supposed to be a closely guarded WrestleMania 42 moment quickly turned into a guessing game for fans—and by the time the show arrived, Paige says she already knew the surprise had been ruined.
According to Paige, conversations about returning to WWE had been happening for a while, but everything suddenly changed when Triple H called with a last-minute request.
“It was crazy because it was Hunter, Triple H, calling me. We were already in talks about potentially doing something maybe, but it was very last second where they’re like, ‘Can you come to Mania and take Nikki’s place for a second?’ And I’m like, ‘Sure.'”
Because she was already planning to be in Las Vegas for Fanatics Fest, podcasts and autograph signings, she figured nobody would think twice about seeing her in town.
“I was like, ‘OK, well, I’m going to be in Vegas anyway because I’m going to be doing my podcasts and signings and all that kind of stuff, so I don’t think it’ll look too strange if I’m around.'”
That plan didn’t last very long. Fans quickly started connecting the dots after news broke that Nikki Bella was injured, with Paige saying social media immediately began predicting she’d be the replacement.
“But everyone was kind of guessing. Everyone was just like, ‘Oh, Nikki’s hurt. The only person I could potentially replace would be Paige, right?’ So people were starting to guess.”
Then WWE accidentally made things even more obvious. On the day of WrestleMania, Paige was suddenly pulled from a scheduled signing and sent straight to the stadium. The moment that happened, she knew fans would figure it out.
“Then the day of Mania I was supposed to go to a signing, and then at the last second they pulled the signing and got me to go to Mania. And I was like, ‘Well, that gives it away then, because I had to cancel the signing.'”
But according to Paige, that wasn’t even the part that frustrated her the most. By then, the secret was already out because it had leaked.
“And also we got so frustrated, you guys, because it leaked the day before.”
Nikki Bella couldn’t help but joke that she still wants to track down whoever spoiled the surprise: “Yeah, I’m going to find that stooge.” Paige admitted it summed up exactly how she was feeling.
“I know! I was like, ‘We can’t have surprises anymore.’ It was the most frustrating thing ever.”
Once they realized there was no putting the genie back in the bottle, they stopped worrying about the leak and focused on making the most of the moment.
“We were just like, ‘OK, we’ll just make the most of it. People are kind of guessing that I’m going to be there anyway.'”
In the end, Paige says the fans made all of the frustration disappear. Hearing the WrestleMania crowd erupt when she walked out is the part she still thinks about.
“But the reaction… it was just bonus, dude. I get chills thinking about it. And I love that I got to do it with you guys and hopefully get to do it with you soon.”
The surprise may not have stayed a secret, but Paige says the reaction inside the stadium was everything she hoped it would be—and that’s the part she’ll remember long after the leak is forgotten.
Do you think WWE can still keep major returns a secret, or are leaks just part of wrestling now? Let us know in the comments below.
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