Saraya Breaks Down the 2017 Injury That Nearly Ended Her Life in Wrestling

Saraya is finally opening up in devastating detail about the career-ending injury that changed her life forever.

The former WWE Superstar—once known to millions as Paige—got real during a new interview, recounting the terrifying moment in 2017 when a single kick paralyzed her mid-match and left her thinking she’d never walk, let alone wrestle again.

During an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Saraya described what happened during a six-woman tag team bout at a WWE house show, just six weeks after returning from neck surgery.

“I remember, and there’s a video on YouTube of it, I lost all the feeling in my legs at first, and then I kind of stumbled, and I fell down. Then I lost all feeling in my arms. You can see me try and grab Mercedes’ legs at the time, and I just could not grab them. Then I remember just being completely paralyzed in the middle of the ring, and then just knowing in my head, I was like this is it. I’m never gonna wrestle again. I already knew. I was like, I’m done… just the feeling in my body, it was like an electric shock, and then everything went numb.”

Advertising

Advertising

She didn’t want to be taken out on a stretcher. Instead, she insisted on walking to the back under her own power—but she knew it was over. WWE’s Dr. Maroon later confirmed that her injury was equivalent to what someone might suffer in a severe car crash. The official word? She’d never wrestle again.

“I remember calling my mum and dad, and I was crying my eyes out. I was like, done. I’m done. And they were crying, because that’s my whole family’s life is wrestling. I’m just devastated… WWE were amazing, and they instantly put me in a position of General Manager, which I was so grateful for. And Vince gave me the opportunity to say goodbye on TV, which is not something a woman usually does within the WWE back then… I had the opportunity to be like I am retiring guys, devastated, cry my eyes out in the ring, and the crowd were amazing, and then the next day, I was the GM. But I knew at that point, okay, I’m never gonna wrestle again. That’s it. I’m done.”

Saraya did the unthinkable five years later by making a full return to the ring in 2022. Now a free agent after her AEW departure, she’s focusing on telling her life story through her new book—which includes this harrowing moment, her WWE rise, and her comeback.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.