We haven’t see Paige on WWE television in quite some time, as she’s been out of action due to a neck injury. We also know that, during her time away from the ring, she hasn’t exactly been the most popular person with WWE management. So, it’ll be interesting to see how she’s booked upon her return.
As for when that return will be, well, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter , Paige should be ready to go in April at the earliest. He also said that the ex-Divas Champion is interested in making the move to mixed martial arts.
“Paige is looking at April, May, or June to return. And The Rock is helping produce a Paige movie. She is starting to think about training for MMA. So she’s got that.”
Alberto Rodriguez, formerly Alberto Del Rio in WWE, is the president of Combate Americas, which is a growing mixed martial arts organization. He’s also engaged to Paige, so her interest in mixed martial arts is likely due to her fiance.
Speaking of Alberto, he recently told Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio that his fiance will be the most successful female wrestler of all time, and that she should be ready to return to action in the spring.
“I’m 100% sure that [Paige] will be the most successful female wrestler of all time. She just needs to get well and she’ll be back in the ring around April or May. I don’t know when the doctors [will make] their final decision.”
During her time away from WWE, Paige failed two wellness tests, resulting in a 60-day suspension. Of course, the suspension didn’t have an impact on her, because she would’ve missed that time anyway due to her neck injury.
Paige’s relationship with Alberto Del Rio is one of the reasons why there’s friction between the ex-Divas Champion and WWE. Back in July, the company decided to put the couple on separate shows, as Paige was drafted to Raw , while Del Rio was drafted to SmackDown . Some, including both Paige and Del Rio, looked at this as WWE trying to get them to break up.
Del Rio ended up being released from the company back in September, citing overall displeasure with how he was being used as his reason for leaving. When WWE agreed to let Del Rio go, many thought that they’d release Paige as well. But they didn’t, and as of this writing, it looks like they’re planning on keeping her around.
As previously mentioned, Paige failed two wellness tests during her time away from the ring, which means that she’s one more failure away from having her contract terminated. Some have suggested that she’ll intentionally fail one of her tests just so she can get a full release from the company, but, so far, she hasn’t.
It’s surprising to hear that Paige is interested in becoming an MMA fighter, and if she really is interested in fighting, now is the perfect time for her to start, as she’s only 24 years old. But whether or not she actually pursues an MMA career remains to be seen.
At this time, the Raw side, which is the brand that Paige got drafted to back in July, doesn’t really need her. So it’ll be interesting to see if they’ll have her be a part of the red brand, or if they’ll move her over to SmackDown , which is in desperate need of depth in their women’s division. Also, rumor has it that the blue brand will be losing Nikki Bella in the spring, so they’ll need another big name to fill that spot, and Paige is certainly capable of filling that spot.
[Featured Image by WWE]
