Paige was the WWE's Anti-Diva: A goth girl whose rocker garb and unassuming attitude
challenged the company's long-standing tradition of buxom, glittery female wrestlers who looked
like cheerleaders. She wasn't about to let those stereotypes stand in her way, especially
when she had in-ring talents and wasn't just another cookie-cutter pretty face. As a result,
she tore through the WWE's roster of Divas, which was what the company called its female
wrestlers at that point, with such efficiency that the WWE itself credits her refreshingly
different image and talent with playing a significant part in ushering the company to
a new, more enticing age of women's pro wrestling.
Which leaves fans with one question: Why isn't she still ruling the roost in the women's
division? What made Paige quit and retire from the WWE?
Okay, that's two questions, but, the ultimate reason for Paige's retirement from in-ring
action was a series of accumulated neck injuries, as the BBC tells us. Paige told shocked fans
in April 2018:
"Unfortunately due to neck injuries I can no longer perform as an in-ring competitor.
This is one of the hardest things I'll ever have to say in my entire career."
While Paige had suffered a few injuries before her untimely retirement, Wrestling Inc. tells
us that her career was ultimately ended by a single unfortunate kick that took place
far from the TV cameras. On December 2017, she was part of the lineup in an untelevised
WWE house show, and her opponent, Sasha Banks, kicked her in the back as part of their match
routine.
Unfortunately, the kick hit in the back of Paige's neck, which didn't mesh well with
her ongoing neck issues. She flopped down to the mat, and as she struggled to get back
to her feet and the referee realized that things had gone awry. Whilte medics and WWE
employees rushed to the stage, and a stretcher was brought out, Paige realized full well
that this was likely her last rodeo, so she refused to be carried out of the ring and
decided to walk away with the aid of the medical staff.
Just in case you can't fully appreciate what it took for Paige to perform that last walk-out,
here's what the woman herself has to say about the incident:
"My neck just wasn't as strong as it was before so I ended up getting temporary paralysis
on my entire body. So, I am laying there in the middle of the ring, and I could feel it.
I knew that I wasn't going to be able to wrestle anymore. I had never had that done to me.
I couldn't feel anything, I just laid there. I wasn't in any pain but I just started crying."
She took a hit so hard, it actually paralyzed her but she still walked away with her own
two feet. That's dedication. She also never blamed Sasha Banks for the incident. On the
contrary, she makes a point of stating that Banks was not at fault in any way and that
her own neck was just not at the level required to take these kinds of hits anymore. Banks,
for her part, stayed on Paige's side throughout the aftermath.
In the end, doctors gave Paige two options: retire straight away, or have surgery... and
then retire. She picked the first choice, and while she found it incredibly difficult
to adjust to a life after in-ring competition, which had been her whole life up to that point,
she ultimately powered through.
Yet her retirement from wrestling didn't extend to all aspects of the business, just inside
the ring. So the WWE has put her charisma to good use, and she continues to grace the
company's shows in various on-screen managerial and executive roles. In fact, just 24 hours
after her retirement announcement, WWE owner Vince McMahon's son, Shane, recruited her
as the new onscreen General Manager of the company's Smackdown Live brand. And after
that stage in her career ended, she moved on to become the manager of popular superstars
Asuka and Kairi Sane.
So, who knows? Regardless of whether she ever performs another finisher again, Paige might
still have a long future in wrestling. Either way, she'll certainly be remembered for her
many, many contributions to the sport she loves.
"YEAAHHH!"
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