Saraya Reveals Why She Finally Spoke Out About Childhood Abuse

Saraya is telling her story in full—and that includes the darkest chapter of her life.

During her appearance on Talk Is Jericho, the AEW star spoke about the painful decision to include her childhood trauma in her new book. She revealed that both she and her brother Zach were molested as kids—something they never even discussed with each other until their late twenties.

“Me and Zach didn’t actually talk about it with each other until I would say I was about 28… Zach, bless his heart, he’s like more emotional than I am. And so he’s had a really rough time in his years to get over it. I’ve kind of been one to completely push it down.”

Saraya recalled the heartbreaking moment her brother finally opened up to her. It was an emotional release that brought years of buried pain to the surface.

“One day, Zach called me and he was completely broken down… and he was just crying and he was like, ‘I just need to talk about this.’ And so we did. And it feels like it was very validating, because you put it in the back of your head and don’t talk about it, so you’re like, ‘Did this actually happen?’”

One of the most devastating memories she shared was how Zach tried to protect her during the abuse. That act of selflessness still affects her deeply.

“Zach’s my hero. One of the times that this guy came up to our bedroom… Zach was on the other side of the room and told the guy to come to his bed instead of mine so I could get a break. You don’t realize at that age how heroic that is—and how traumatic that is for him to take that for me. I just love my brother so incredibly much for that.”

Saraya wasn’t originally planning to include this part of her story in the book. But she felt a responsibility to be honest with readers—and herself.

“I wasn’t even going to put that in the book. And then I was like, ‘You know what? I said to myself I was going to give 100% of me, so I’m going to talk about it.’”

The response from readers has been overwhelming. Saraya said wrestlers—both men and women—have reached out to share that they went through similar trauma.

“A lot of people have wanted to speak to me about this… and I’m so thankful I did it, because I don’t know how many people I’m actually helping. Wrestlers—male and female—wrote to me after reading the book and were like, ‘I went through the same thing. I’m so proud you’re speaking about it. Maybe one day I’ll speak about it.’”

“That made me feel like a million bucks—like I’m doing something of substance for people. Even though it was rough.”

Saraya’s honesty is giving strength to others who’ve lived through the same kind of trauma—and proving once again why wrestling fans see her as more than just a performer.

Do you think stories like Saraya’s can change the way wrestling handles mental health and abuse survival? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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