Paige has reflected on WWE giving her the role of SmackDown General Manager after she was forced to retire from in-ring competition in 2018.
This past weekend saw Paige return to in-ring competition in WWE for the first time since suffering a serious neck injury in December 2017, when she teamed with Brie Bella to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 42.
While her in-ring career in WWE has a near-decade long gap between her retirement and WrestleMania 42 Saturday, Paige did remain a part of the company for five years after her last match, serving in a number of roles such as: manager to The Kabuki Warriors, panelist on WWE Backstage on Fox and, perhaps most notably, SmackDown General Manager in 2018.
During her appearance on What’s Your Story? With Stephanie McMahon, Paige recalled being approached with the idea of being SmackDown’s new GM and her excitement about taking the role the day after giving her retirement speech on Raw on April 9, 2018.
Paige said:
“I got pulled to the side and they were like, ‘Ok we need you for SmackDown.’ I was like, Why? I don’t wrestle anymore.’
“…When I came back the next day it was like Road Dogg and the writers all cornered me, they were like, ‘Ok, you’re gonna be GM.’ I was like, ‘Oh my god this is great.’
“Your brother (Shane McMahon) was the one who introduced me, the crowd erupted and it kind of gave me a new fire. It got me really excited to come to work because it was something completely new.”
“I wasn’t in the division anymore so I didn’t have to worry about is my time going to be cut, the matches. I just had to worry about the five or six promos I had to do live that day which is intimidating.”
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Paige’s WWE SmackDown Status Not Yet Confirmed
Following her return at WrestleMania 42, Paige has yet to be officially assigned a brand by WWE, and at the time of writing she is not yet visible on the company’s active roster page.
With The Bella Twins belonging to Raw, one would assume that Paige will also sign with the red brand, however, it’s worth noting that Paige and Brie will be free to move between shows due to them holding the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.
With the likes of Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, as well as former champions The Irresistible Forces being on SmackDown, perhaps we could find out what’s next for Paige and Brie as soon as the SmackDown after WrestleMania 42 tomorrow night (April 24).
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