Saraya Admits Brutal Fan Backlash Made Her Regret Wrestling Comeback

Saraya’s return to the ring after a devastating neck injury was supposed to be a miracle—but instead, it turned into a mental battle she never saw coming.

Speaking to Andro Mammo, Saraya described her emotions after finally getting cleared to wrestle again. “It was a weird feeling. Honestly, I was so excited to be able to wrestle again, and I couldn’t believe I was ever going to wrestle again, so it was a miracle,” she said.

That excitement quickly faded. After one of her early promos fell flat, she became the target of brutal online criticism. “Then the week after I did a promo, which wasn’t very good, and I know it wasn’t, I just got in my head. I got a lot of nerves and stuff like that, and had a lot of anxiety and I didn’t do a good job, and then they completely tore me apart online. Tore me apart,” Saraya said. “It made me think I made a mistake coming back, and I was like, what have I done?”

When asked if the backlash made her second-guess everything, Saraya didn’t hesitate. “Yes, 100%.”

The situation took a toll, but Saraya eventually found a way to tune out the negativity. “Time, and deleting social media, getting reps in and stuff like that because I did not want to listen to what they were saying, because they can be cruel. The AEW fans especially, wow, and anyone that comes over there, holy crap. It’s crazy,” she explained. Over time, she learned to protect her mental health by staying offline after shows and focusing on having fun again. “Even if they didn’t like the Saraya gimmick or didn’t like what I was doing, or didn’t like how I was booked, I didn’t care. I was having fun.”

Saraya’s experience shows that even top wrestlers aren’t immune to online hate—but it’s possible to fight through it and come out stronger.