Is Paige Still In WWE?

Paige has been out of the WWE for a while now, and many fans are wondering if she will ever return.

Introduction

On April 9th, Paige announced on Raw that she was taking an indefinite leave of absence from WWE due to injury. This was a huge shock to the WWE Universe, as Paige is one of the most popular Superstars on the roster.

Since her announcement, Paige has been off TV and has not been seen at live events. The only communication we’ve had from her is through social media, where she has been very active.

So the question on everyone’s mind is: Is Paige still in WWE?

The answer is complicated.

Paige’s WWE Career

Paige first started with WWE in 2012 and has had an up and down career since then. She has been injured multiple times and has taken some time away from the ring. Recently, Paige has been appearing on WWE Backstage as an analyst. It is not clear if she is still an active WWE wrestler or not.

2013-2014: NXT Women’s Champion

Paige quickly made an impact in NXT, and on her very first night as a competitor, she won a Battle Royal to become the inaugural NXT Women’s Champion. Paige then went on to successfully defend her title against the likes of Summer Rae, Emma and Sasha Banks.

However, Paige’s time as champion came to an end when she was defeated by Charlotte in April 2014. Despite this setback, Paige remained a key player in the NXT women’s division and had a number of high-profile matches against the likes of Bayley and Banks.

2014-2017: WWE Divas Champion and General Manager of SmackDown Live

From 2014 to 2017, Paige was active as a professional wrestler with WWE. In that time, she became a two-time WWE Divas Champion and was the inaugural NXT Women’s Champion. She also served as the General Manager of SmackDown Live for a short period of time.

2017-2018: Absence from WWE

In late 2016 and early 2017, Paige was not used on WWE programming due to legitimate neck injuries. Her physician Dr. Joseph Maroon stated that Paige would require surgery to fuse the damaged vertebrae together, which would put her out of action for six to eight months. On 9 October 2017, Paige was suspended for 60 days by WWE due to a violation of the company’s wellness policy; this was her second violation, which resulted in an automatic suspension under the new policy.
It was later revealed that Paige had suffered an injury at a house show on 12 December, when she lifted Sasha Banks in a fireman’s carry before Banks dropped down and kicked Paige in the back of the head, causing Paige to land awkwardly and receive a concussion. As a result of the clustered timetable of her suspensions and injury, as well as needing surgery on her neck again (which Maroon stated would keep her out for another 8–10 months), WWE elected to keep Paige inactive rather than losing her for an extended period of time due again to suspension. On 9 April 2018, Paige was suspended for 30 days due to a third violation of WWE’s wellness policy; this led many insiders within WWE to believe that she had been released from her contract, especially after unconfirmed reports claimed that she had been backstage at WrestleMania 34 trying to convince officials not to terminate her contract.
Her last match took place on 6 May at a live event where she teamed with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville in defeating Bayley, Sasha Banks and Mickie James in a six-woman tag team match..

What Happened to Paige?

Paige was one of the top female Superstars in the WWE, but she has been out of action for a while now. There are rumours that she has been released by the WWE, but that has not been confirmed. Paige has not been seen on WWE TV since June, and her absence has been a mystery.

Health Issues

Paige has had a long history of injuries, which has resulted in her being forced to take extended time off from in-ring action. In April 2016, Paige underwent neck surgery, which caused her to miss several months of action. In October of that year, Paige was injured again and subsequently missed several more months. In December 2017, Paige returned to WWE programming after a nearly year-long absence, but she was forced to retire from in-ring action in April 2018 due to a neck injury.

Injuries

In recent years, Paige has been plagued by a series of injuries that have kept her out of action for long periods of time. In 2016, she was sidelined for several months with a neck injury, and in 2017 she underwent surgery on her shoulder. In 2018, Paige suffered another neck injury which led to her retirement from in-ring competition.

Paige has remained with WWE as a backstage commentator and ambassador. However, she has not appeared on WWE television since April 2019 due to personal issues. It is unclear if or when Paige will return to WWE TV.

Retirement

On April 9, 2020, Paige announced her retirement from in-ring competition in WWE due to a myriad of injuries that she sustained over the years. Paige wrestled her last match on December 28, 2019, which was a six-woman tag team match alongside Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville against The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan).

Since her retirement announcement, Paige has remained with WWE as the on-screen General Manager of SmackDown. She has also been appearing on WWE Backstage as a analyst.

Where is Paige Now?

Paige was last seen on WWE television at the Royal Rumble in January of 2019. She has not been seen since. It was reported that she was injured and had to take time off. Paige has been taking time off to film a movie.

Acting

Paige has had a movie career outside of WWE. In 2018, she was in the action film “Fighting with My Family” which was based on her early life and career. The movie starred Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden. Paige had a lead role in the 2020 film “Scoob!” which is an animated movie about the origins of Scooby-Doo and Shaggy’s friendship.

Wrestling on the Independent Circuit

Since Paige’s release from WWE in April 2019, she has been wrestling on the independent circuit. In September 2019, Paige joined forces with Independent Wrestling Entertainment (IWE), a Florida-based promotion. She made her IWE debut at the company’s Homecoming event, defeating Santana Garrett in a championship match.

Paige has also been appearing at various pro-wrestling conventions and fan events. In November 2019, Paige was a guest at “WrestleCade”, an annual fan convention held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. During her guest appearance, Paige held a meet-and-greet with fans and signed autographs.

Conclusion

After taking some time away from the spotlight, Paige has returned to WWE programming. She is currently appearing on WWE Backstage as an analyst, and she is also set to star in a new movie about her life. So, it seems safe to say that Paige is still very much involved with WWE.