There are few who have impacted women’s wrestling in the United States than Saraya.
Her role in the “Divas Revolution” cannot be overlooked. Saraya, under her WWE name of Paige, was the Divas Revolution.
She was the figurehead of the movement during the early days of NXT. While she helped change women’s wrestling in WWE with the help of stars like Summer Rae and Emma, Paige was the face of a new wave of women’s wrestling.
Paige vs Emma was a match that wowed fans, and that William Regal called “The Foundation” of the future of women’s wrestling. It showed that the women could wrestle as well as the men, with their own unique style.
Despite signing for the company when she was just 18-year-old, Saraya was already a veteran of the sport. She made her debut at the age of 13, and began travelling Europe as a teenage. The English wrestling star came from the famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) Knight Family.
This included AEW star Zak Knight, and British indie star Ricky Knight Jr. Her parents, siblings and cousins all wrestle, and it is a true family business for the group.
Early on in her career, the family were subject to numerous different TV shows documenting their strange family dynamic. It followed them across the UK, putting on shows and wrestling in the ring. The most famous, titled “Fighting with my Family“, chronicled Saraya’s journey to be signed by the WWE, and ultimately changing her name to Paige.
That documentary would later be turned into a feature film, which starred Florence Pugh, Nick Frost and The Rock.
Once in the WWE, Paige quickly became a force to be reckoned with. Her matches in NXT wowed fans, as did her character. She became the “Anti-Diva”, rejecting the traditional women’s stereotypes in WWE. Paige blazed her own trail, and wrestled in a way not seen before.
She became the first ever NXT Women’s Champion, holding the belt for 308 days. During her reign, she debuted on Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania 30 and won the WWE Divas title.
Paige vs AJ Lee became the feud of the summer, with multiple matches between the pair taking the division to new heights. This concluded at WrestleMania 31, where Paige & AJ Lee teamed together to take on the Bella Twins.
Later that year, Paige was at the forefront of the Women’s Revolution. She led Becky Lynch and Charlotte in the team known as PCB (although they were originally named the Submission Sorority, which obviously didn’t last long).
The women quickly became seen as equal to the male wrestlers. They main evented pay per views, had their own Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank matches, and even their own pay per view (Evolution).
WWE even had the first ever all-women WrestleMania main event in 2019, when Becky Lynch defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 35.
Sadly, Saraya could enjoy any of it. In a match against Sasha Banks in late 2017, Saraya injured her neck and was forced to retire just months later. This was Paige’s last match in the WWE.
She was just 25-years-old, but had accomplished more than most women in WWE history.
Luckily, her neck managed to heal, and Saraya joined AEW in 2022. This is where she wrestles to this day, and is a former AEW Women’s Champion. She was one of the first British AEW Champions, winning her title at the historic Wembley Stadium event, AEW All In 2023.
It is fair to say that, thanks to her contributions to the industry, Saraya is one of the best female wrestler in British wrestling history.