Paige's top 5 WWE moments before her apparent in-ring return

Paige is one of WWE's greatest imports from outside of North America. She started her wrestling career when she was just 13 years old and signed for the WWE when she was 18 years old.

The Norwich-born star made an immediate impact in front of the WWE Universe and became a trailblazer for the women's division and women's evolution. Paige made history along the way and made some memorable moments that will be remembered for years to come.

That being said, let's take a look at five of Paige's best moments in WWE, before her apparent teased return to the ring in 2022.

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#5. Paige teaming up with AJ Lee in her WrestleMania debut

Paige made her main roster debut following WrestleMania in April 2014. She immediately headed into a storyline with AJ Lee. The pair became friends and foes over the span of the year. Their feud ended in November that year, and a short while later, AJ Lee took some time off to heal some pre-existing injuries.

It was the same year that CM Punk walked out of WWE. It was speculated that AJ would soon follow, with her being Punk's partner. Paige was placed in a feud with The Bella Twins during AJ's sabatical. Paige was teased for weeks on Monday Night RAW until AJ Lee made her return to the side with the Norwich-native.

The duo ended up teaming up at WrestleMania in 2015, facing The Bella's in a tag team match. It was a big moment for Paige, as this was her WrestleMania debut. In the end, AJ and Paige picked up the victory and celebrated with the WWE Universe.

For AJ, it was the end of the road, as a number of days later she decided to leave WWE and retire from professional wrestling. Paige spoke with The Independent prior to WrestleMania 31 in 2015 to discuss her pairing with AJ Lee:

"I love partnering and going against AJ both as equally as each other as we can do some really crazy stuff either way. We are these two weird and quirky chicks and we like to think of ourselves as the freak and the geek. We aren’t afraid to be ourselves if we are on the same team or against each other." Paige said (h/t The Independent)

For Paige, it was a memorable moment that will surely be fondly remembered by her for the rest of her life.

#4. Paige becoming NXT Women's Champion

Following Paige's signing with WWE, she was assigned to FCW, which was the development brand at the time. Eventually, FCW closed and NXT became WWE's new development brand. NXT had a weekly program on the WWE Network, and Paige made her debut on the third ever episode.

It wasn't long before fans rallied behind her, which led her onto an undefeated run. This led her to becoming the inaugural NXT Women's Champion, where she beat Emma in the final of the championship tournament.

Paige revealed that she almost missed out on being the inaugural NXT Women's Champion when speaking with Renee Pacquette:

"First of all, I just want to talk about the day that I won the NXT Women’s Championship for the first time. I was actually cleared that day to wrestle, I nearly missed it, because I had a cyst on my ovary that I had to have surgery to remove. Hunter literally cleared me that day, he was like ‘listen if you can do this, this, this… and the doctor says it’s OK then you can wrestle.’ I was like oh my God I nearly missed that opportunity. [Renee asks who would have won if Paige wasn’t clear] If I wasn’t cleared it would have been Emma. I was so thankful that the doctor was like yeah she’s good to go." Paige said (h/t Inside The Ropes)

It was Paige's first major championship in WWE, and it was just the beginning for the British star.

#3. Paige being a part of Team PCB

On the July 13, 2015 episode of Monday Night RAW, Paige aligned herself with NXT call-ups Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Stephanie McMahon had called for a revolution for the women's division, which initially set up three teams against each other.

Paige's team was dubbed Team PCB. They faced Team B.A.D which consisted of Naomi, Tamina & Sasha Banks. They also faced Team Bella which consisted of Nikki Bella, Brie Bella and Alicia Fox.

It was a history-making moment, as it sparked a new direction for the women's division. The WWE Universe had been using social media to make their feelings heard using the #GiveDivasAChance hashtag. It changed the focus for the women's division and ultimately provided more opportunities to showcase their talents in the ring.

Paige spoke with IGN in 2016 about her time as a part of Team PCB

"I loved it. I love all the girls that came up and they all deserved it and are amazing athletes. It was fun. Our team had to break up at some point and you needed someone a little bit edgier to shake things up. I definitely pitched to shake things up and break the group up a little bit. [Laughs] My character is one that doesn’t really play well with others anyway when we’re inside the WWE ring, so what better way to do it then have me screw them over again? It was definitely fun and now I get to work with them on opposite corners." Paige said (h/t PW Mania)

#2. Paige as SmackDown General Manager

In April 2019, Paige announced her retirement from in-ring competition due to an injury suffered at a WWE house show. It was devastating for Paige, as she hadn't even hit the prime of her career and was still in her twenties.

Paige took to the ring on the April 9th episode of Monday Night RAW to make the announcement. The following night on SmackDown, Shane McMahon appointed her the new on-screen General Manager of the blue brand. It allowed Paige to still make appearances for WWE, and also assist with promoting her Fighting with my Family movie.

Paige spoke with TV Insider to discuss how her role as General Manager came about:

"I actually pitched the idea, too. I knew a few months back that I pretty much wasn’t going to be wrestling anymore, so I was constantly pitching ideas of what I could do. Maybe I could manage someone and be the female Paul Heyman. I was constantly pitching. I think Vince [McMahon] already had the idea to make me general manager. That was his idea." Paige said. (h/t Wrestling Inc.)

The role as General Manager lasted until the end of the year, but Paige built a lot of chemistry with the SmackDown roster. She was also well received by the WWE Universe in the role.

#1. Paige makes her WWE main roster debut the night after WrestleMania XXX

After a spectacular WrestleMania in 2014, WWE delivered a spectacular episode of Monday Night RAW in New Orleans, in which Paige made history. The crowd, mainly filled with European fans, were hot for the whole night. There was a party atmosphere inside the Smoothie King Center, and that only heightened as the night progressed.

Mid-way through the episode, Diva's champion AJ Lee made her way to the ring to discuss the previous night. Paige interrupted her while making her main roster to the delight of the WWE Universe in attendance who knew her from NXT. The match was set for the Divas Championship, as AJ questioned whether Paige had what it took.

To the shock of everyone watching, Paige delivered her Paige Turner finisher and pinned AJ Lee to become the champion. She made history by becoming the youngest-ever Divas Champion. She also became the only woman to win the Divas Championship on their debut, and also reigning Divas & NXT Women's Champion at the same time.

It was by far Paige's greatest moment of her career, and was a key moment in the Fighting for my Family movie. She made a huge impact in such a short space of time. We sincerely hope that the speculation about an impending return is true so she can continue to trailblaze with the current roster.