Paige last appeared on WWE TV in the summer of 2016, and in the near-year that has passed, she has been the centre of controversy in the wrestling world. All that aside, it is her injured neck that has kept her out of the ring for so long.
Although one would assume that her return is only inevitable at this point, a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter indicated that she is not currently in the company's plans moving forward. Not only that, there are a variety of other reasons why fans shouldn't expect to see her back on WWE television anytime soon.
Paige leaving would be a significant loss, but WWE has since focused on pushing the likes of Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Alexa Bliss. Not much is known for certain regarding what the future holds for the Anti-Diva, but if the following concerns are any indication, it's possible she will be gone from WWE before long.
#5 She has two suspensions on her record
In August 2016, Paige was suspended for 30 days by WWE for violating the company's Wellness Policy for the first time, coincidentally enough the same day Alberto Del Rio was also suspended. Before she could resurface on Raw, she was suspended for a second time in early October, this time for 60 days.
Paige has disputed whether she was at fault in either situation, but regardless of whether she was or not, the two strikes still stand. A third violation of the policy would result in an immediate dismissal from the company.
In the possible case she leaves WWE and returns down the line, those two strikes will remain on her record. Eva Marie was also suspended by WWE around the same time and never came back to TV, so we could see something similar with Paige.
#4 She is no longer the best wrestler on the roster
At the time Paige was brought up to WWE's main roster in April 2014, the then-Divas division desperately needed her. AJ Lee was the only other relevant women's wrestler on the roster, so a feud between the two was seen as the saving grace of the division.
While the feud was all right, it didn't exactly live up to the lofty expectations of the fans. Plenty of pressure was put on Paige when she arrived on Raw because she was the first women's wrestler to come up from NXT (Emma hardly counts as a result of her failed pairing with Santino Marella), but she was never used correctly for the first few years of her main roster run.
Ultimately, Paige was overshadowed once Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch debuted in the summer of 2015, and she was no longer the best women's wrestler on the roster. Even while she was healthy, WWE didn't do anything meaningful with her and didn't appear to have plans to push her before she got hurt.
#3 Her fiance works for Impact Wrestling
There have been countless cases in the past of couples working for opposing organisations, with Magnus (Impact Wrestling) and Mickie James (WWE) doing it currently. Thus, that doesn't necessarily mean one of them will leave the company they work for in order to join their significant other.
That said, Alberto El Patron and Paige might be the exception. They were reportedly kept apart by officials in the Brand Split because they thought he would be a bad influence on Paige, and his eventual departure from WWE in the fall of 2016 didn't help matters.
Also read: 5 storylines WWE can use after the Paige controversy
She was apparently backstage at the Impact Wrestling tapings a few months ago when El Patron made his televised debut, and she might want nothing more than to join him there. Plus, Impact would dish out as much money as possible to bring her in and make her the focal point of their Knockouts division. It would also allow them to see each other much more frequently.
#2 She's accomplished almost everything
Paige winning the Divas Championship the same night she debuted on the main roster was undoubtedly a monumental moment, but it also might have been a massive mistake. It took time for her to familiarise herself with the fans in the weeks that followed, which could have been done while she was chasing the championship.
It wasn't much later that she turned heel, won the title for the second time, and won at WrestleMania. Beyond repeating those accomplishments, what is left for her to accomplish outside of feuding with fresh faces and putting them over?
In so many words, Paige's WWE career peaked way too early, and now there really isn't anything for her to strive for. Time away from WWE's squared circle could do her some good so she could return as a bigger star a few years from now (she's only 24-years-old) and mix it up with the talent of tomorrow.
#1 She reportedly almost quit in the fall
Soon after Alberto Del Rio officially parted ways with WWE in September 2016, rumours ran rampant that Paige was on her way out as well. When that didn't pan out, it was revealed that she was under contract until 2019 and that WWE refused to grant her a release.
That could mean Paige would rather be with her boyfriend/fiance than in WWE, and that's totally fine. As noted, it would seem they haven't treated her with complete fairness in the last year, and she's as fed up with management as Del Rio was before his run with the company ended.
Unfortunately, the more El Patron bad mouths WWE, the less likely it is officials will let Paige go anytime soon. They could very well keep her under contract for the next two years until it expires, but regardless, the chances of her coming back to TV in a prominent role until that happens are slim to none.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
