Saraya Explains Why She Fell Out of Love With Wrestling While Working in AEW

Saraya is getting real about a difficult chapter in her wrestling career — and it centers on her time in AEW.

During her appearance on Wrestling With Freddie, the former WWE star explained that while she enjoyed being part of the company, the creative direction she was given slowly drained her passion for wrestling and left her feeling unfulfilled.

When asked about her future and whether she truly wanted to wrestle again, Saraya admitted there was a period where the answer wasn’t so clear. Wrestling, which had defined most of her life, had started to feel more like a burden than a calling.

“I’m taking wrestling so seriously. I lost my passion for it for a second. I kind of fell out of love with it, and it was kind of making me miserable at one point.”

She made it clear that the issue wasn’t the environment or the people in AEW. In fact, Saraya said she genuinely enjoyed her time there — just not the role she was asked to play on screen.

“I loved being in AEW. I had so much fun. But, you know, the character I was doing, I wasn’t too happy with. And I wish I could have done certain matches and certain things and it didn’t come to be. And it’s fine. Absolutely fine.”

That creative frustration lingered, eventually pushing her to step back and reevaluate whether continuing to wrestle made sense for her at all.

“That’s what was supposed to happen. But, yeah, I just kind of fell out of love with it.”

Time away from the ring ended up giving her clarity rather than closure. Instead of walking away, Saraya realized she needed a full reset — physically, mentally, and creatively — before committing to wrestling again.

“So now I’m just like, I need to start training again. I need to get my ass back into shape. I need to be the Paige that I was in NXT — but better.”

She also addressed speculation that her recent training videos were tied to a quick return, saying the decision to get back into shape had been planned well in advance.

“I started training in January, and I had told people I was going to stop doing that months ago. Everyone thought I was just posting it for the Rumble. I was like, no, I’ve been telling you guys, I’m training in January. I’m doing this.”

Saraya’s comments add new context to her AEW run — not as a failure, but as a chapter that showed her what she didn’t want creatively. Now, with her motivation restored, she’s clearly positioning herself for a return on her own terms.

Do you think AEW’s creative direction played a bigger role in Saraya stepping away than people realized, or was the reset inevitable no matter where she was working? Share your thoughts and leave your feedback below.

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