Paige thanks WWE for everything in public farewell letter

Last month, Paige revealed her WWE contract ended on July 7, and the company would not be re-signing her.

Calendar-users will note that tomorrow is July 7. Ahead of the end of her WWE run, Paige — going by her real first name Saraya — published a goodbye letter to the promotion she’s worked for since she was 18 years old.

In The Player’s Tribune, the now 29 year old Saraya writes:

WWE — those three letters have given so much to me. In many ways, they’ve come to define me. And they’ve never lost their meaning. The idea of being a WWE Superstar … I’m still blown away by that, still humbled by it.

Which makes it hard to say goodbye.

She specifically mentions AJ Mendez & The Bellas as veterans who supported her in the early going, and shouts out the in-ring work Natalya & Tenille Dashwood did with her. Saraya says she wishes the women who came before her cohort received the same support they did, and specifically thanks Paul Levesque, Stephanie McMahon, Dusty Rhodes, Tom Prichard, Norman Smiley, Joey Mercury, and Steve Keirn for that support.

The women who’ve been a part of the WWE Women’s Revolution/Evolution are covered en masse:

I’ll always feel such a kinship with the women of my era, because we worked so damn hard to prove ourselves. To prove that we couldn’t just wrestle — we could wrestle our asses off... Everyone seems to have a different idea on where and when our Women’s Revolution started, but to me the where and when don’t matter. What matters is that it happened, and that women’s wrestling is in good hands with the talent on this roster. I’m incredibly honoured to have gotten to be a part of something so special, and can’t wait to see what the future brings.

Her letter also covers the rocky years in the mid-2010s when her private videos were made public without her consent, she failed a drug test as her substance use spiraled out of control, and her neck injury was diagnosed, all while she was in a toxic relationship with Alberto Del Rio/El Patron. Saraya credits WWE with helping her get through that period:

“... they never lost faith in me — they never once threw me off to the side. They got me the help I needed when I needed help, and they gave me the time and space I needed when I needed time and space.”

A story about a pep talk Stephanie McMahon gave her before her brief return from injury in 2017 wraps up the WWE portion of the letter, before Saraya closes with us — and some talk of the future.

And I want to thank YOU ALL — truly, anyone who might be reading. From my bosses to my coworkers to my friends to my fans. For the past 11 years, you’ve let me live out my dreams. More living to come. I’ll see you down the road.

We already know about a handful of Saraya dates, and gotten hints that road might eventually lead to her first match in almost five years.

Until then, we’ll just say you’re welcome, Saraya — and thanks for the memories you’ve given us so far.