English professional wrestler Saraya-Jade Bevis, best known by her WWE ring name Paige, made her comeback at WrestleMania 42 earlier this month, replacing Nikki “Brie” Bella.
However, the 33-year-old former WWE Divas Champion appeared on the podcast What’s Your Story and shared:
“I came in this time with a mindset where I just want to be happy and have fun, because I don’t think I’m going to be wrestling after this run. I want to just enjoy my time that I have here, embrace absolutely everything, and just enjoy the journey.”
Paige was briefly engaged to Mexican wrestler Alberto Del Rio between 2016 and 2017.
During the podcast, she shared looking forward to competing in marquee matches, such as the Royal Rumble and the Elimination Chamber, which were previously unavailable for women:
“That’s all I care about. But I do want to finally be able to be in the Royal Rumble that I got to not be a part of and do the Elimination Chambers and do, you know, all these stipulation matches that were not around.”
Bevis also mentioned feeling “sad and bittersweet” watching the first women’s Royal Rumble from backstage as the new generation of female wrestlers had the opportunities that the likes of her didn’t have before.
“I was happy that the girls finally got this big match that we didn’t have before. But I was sad because I wasn’t a part of it, and I didn’t know if I was ever going to be a part of it again… To have this moment where I’m back in WWE, my neck is good, I’m wrestling again, and there are opportunities for me to be a part of these stipulation matches. I mean, man, I’m really excited. I’m really excited for the next couple of years.”
Exploring Paige’s life, career, romantic history, and more
Saraya-Jade Bevis was born in Norwich, England, a semi-rural town located a hundred miles northeast of London. In February 2019, she appeared for a cover story on PEOPLE and shared:
“I’m from humble beginnings. And now I’m getting fan mail, I’m blowing up on social media [with fans] just saying thank you. It’s really wonderful to see.”
She grew up in a wrestling family where her parents, Ricky and Julia, were pro wrestlers and gym owners, and were together called “The Knights.” Ricky is also the founding member of the World Association of Wrestling.
Paige and her brother Zak turned to the sport at a young age:
“I always loved wrestling growing up. I was obsessed with it. But I just scared of getting inside the ring. That wasn’t something that I was willing to do. It was terrifying.”
One night, when her dad asked her to fill in for one of the girls at his organization, Paige realized she was ready for the ring.
“One of the girls didn’t turn up for a show. My dad was like, ‘Get in the ring. You have to fill in tonight.’ I was like, ‘Uh, okay.’ And then as soon as I walked out of the curtain and into the ring, I just fell in love with it. I was like, yup, this is what I want to do.”
Both Saraya and Zak failed during their debut WWE trials. However, she got through the second time, but he didn’t.
“We thought we’d either both make it or we both won’t make it. We never thought it’d just be one of us. That’s where the problem came in. It wasn’t because he was jealous of me in any way, but it was that he was upset because he lives and breathes wrestling,” she explained.
One-half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion (with Brie Bella) added:
“He’s loved it so much since a young age, and it’s just frustrating to him for his sister to get it. It caused a little bit of a rift in our relationship, but in a couple of months, he came around.”
Paige soon relocated to the USA to train herself, but it strained her relationship with her family. In fact, her story was adapted into a film by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in 2019, titled Fighting with My Family, starring Florence Pugh in the titular role. She also called Johnson a ”good human being” and a mentor, who always made time for others despite his busy schedule.
Twelve years ago, Saraya-Jade Bevis made her WWE debut during a RAW episode and defeated reigning WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee. With this feat, she also became the youngest champion in history:
“To get the opportunity to be the Divas Champion, it just soothed my mind because I wasn’t a typical Diva. I didn’t look like the rest of the Divas. I was the oddball, the misfit. The reception from the fans was amazing. Even when I watch it back now, it’s insane to me.”
In December 2017, Paige suffered a neck injury in the ring and had to undergo surgery. For the next four months, she was away from limelight, until she announced her retirement, calling it “one of the hardest things” she ever had to do in her career. The following year, she told PEOPLE:
“Being sidelined really did suck. I feel like I missed out on a lot of stuff. I always wanted to continue with my wrestling career, but unfortunately, it was cut short. And now it’s opened doors to a lot of other stuff.”
Following her retirement, Paige worked as the General Manager of SmackDown, launched her own makeup and clothing brands, and immersed herself in Hollywood and “other adventures.”
“I didn’t want to sit there and be sad about something that I couldn’t change. There was nothing I could change about that. I’ve hit rock bottom before and I got depressed about it, and that’s what made me spark to stay positive because I never want to see that again. I was like, okay, I want to be happy, so I started setting goals to do other stuff,” she noted.
Elsewhere, Paige has had a tumultuous personal life. For instance, in March 2017, four-year-old s*x tapes featuring her and fellow wrestlers Xavier Woods and Brad Maddox (her ex) were leaked online. At the time, she called it a “mistake” and hoped people could learn from her.
Subsequently, she appeared on a podcast and revealed that her dad had to stop her from “killing myself,” who taught her not to take everything “seriously.”
“I was so mortified… embarrassed… humiliated. I was like, ‘This is the last straw.’ As, in that year and a half, I was going through a lot. It was like I can’t do this anymore. I don’t wanna be around. I told to myself, ‘If my dad and my family, mostly my dad, were disappointed in me, that’s it, I am done.”
Finally, when Paige received her father’s call and cried over the phone, telling him “Sorry,” Ricky Bevis turned it around and assured her:
“‘Princess, everything’s going to be okay. It’s just s*x, everybody does it. You are just in the spotlight… You were doing what every other human being was doing with their lives.’ He was like, ‘Don’t feel ashamed. I love you, I am proud of you.’ And then he added some humor to it. He was like, ‘Who knows, you might get famous like Kim Kardashian.’”
In a follow-up interview, Paige also revealed that she was suicidal and battled stress-induced anorexia.
In October 2016, Saraya got engaged to Alberto Del Rico and called him her “husband.” In fact, many outlets reported that they were married five months into their engagement. Regardless, the on-and-off relationship ended in late 2017.
Before that, in July, a woman seemingly accused Alberto of physical assault. However, Paige downplayed the incident on X, claiming her partner had an altercation with the individual who threw a drink at him at a Florida airport terminal.
“WE got the cops involved. I’m crying cuz I found out bad fam news & a lady tries [to] take a pic. She gets angry and throws a drink on @PrideofMexico. Please leave us alone. That’s it.”
Meanwhile, witnesses claimed the couple was fighting in public and Paige called Del Rico “abusive.” In the wake of the controversy, the Orlando Police Department was seemingly investigating Alberto, real name Jose Alberto Rodriguez, for domestic violence.
Saraya-Jade Bevis was engaged to A Day to Remember guitarist Kevin Skaff for a few months in 2016. She also dated Falling in Reverse lead vocalist Ronnie Radke from 2018 to 2024 and even appeared in the band’s music video for Bad Guy.
Before this week’s WrestleMania 42, Paige competed at the 2022 AEW Full Gear, marking her first match since her retirement.
Edited by Pallavi K