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Paige recently recalled how Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, and Vince McMahon reacted when she returned to WWE in 2017 after a lengthy absence.
The 29-year-old took a break from the ring in 2016 due to a neck injury. During her time away, the British star lost a lot of weight after developing substance abuse issues. Private images of her were also leaked online around that time.
Speaking on Renee Paquette’s “The Sessions” podcast, the two-time Divas Champion revealed that she felt anxious about returning due to her personal problems. Fortunately, she was welcomed back with open arms by the company’s higher-ups.
“I walked up to Hunter [Triple H] and he just gave me this huge hug,” Paige said. “He was like, ‘I thought you were gonna die.’ I walk up to Stephanie. Stephanie gives me a big hug, says the same thing. Then I get to Vince and he looked at me for a second, and he’s like, ‘Come here,’ and he gives me a big hug, and he was just like, ‘I thought you were gonna die.’ They all had the same thing to say.”
The retired superstar added that she looked frail when she initially spoke to WWE about returning. She weighed 115 pounds at the time, 40 pounds less than her weight of 155 pounds when she made her in-ring comeback.
What happened when Paige returned to WWE?
On the November 20, 2017, episode of RAW, Paige made her first on-screen WWE appearance in over a year. She returned as the leader of a new faction, Absolution, which also consisted of Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville.
Six weeks later, she suffered another injury to her neck after taking a kick from Sasha Banks at a live event. The match turned out to be the last of her WWE career, as she was forced into retirement at the age of just 25.
Paige recently left WWE after almost 11 years with the company. Although the two-time Divas Champion wants to wrestle again, it is currently unclear if she will be medically cleared.
Who would you like Paige to wrestle if she returns? Let us know in the comments section.
Please credit “The Sessions” and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
