While some fans are hoping for a surprise return at WWE Evolution 2, Saraya says there have been no talks about her coming back to the company.
“I haven’t had a conversation with them,” she told the Orlando Sentinel in an interview conducted on June 17 and published today. She added, “I know I always get tagged in everything — as soon as there’s a mystery opponent, people are like, ‘She’s coming back.’ But no. I love WWE, but no.”
Saraya — formerly known as Paige in WWE — parted ways with AEW in March. She called her time there special, expressing gratitude to Tony Khan and the women’s locker room. Her exit quickly sparked speculation about a WWE return, which Saraya isn’t ruling out, but she’s currently stepping away from wrestling to focus on other goals. She said,
“It feels good to take a little break and still feel the love from fans who want me back. I just want to explore life outside wrestling and take care of myself this year. Wrestling has been my whole life — all 32 years of it — so I’m trying to find myself beyond the ring. Maybe next year, I’ll come back.”
Fightful Select is reporting that there were no reported travel issues ahead of RAW, and it looks like the full roster and staff are present.
Several members of WWE’s production and writing teams have been discussing how to address The Rock’s absence in an upcoming episode of the WWE: UNREAL series, which premieres next month on Netflix.
Following tonight’s TV tapings, most of WWE will be on a week-long break. The SmackDown crew, having just returned from Saudi Arabia, will get an extended break of about a week and a half after tonight’s tapings.
Over the weekend, Natalya competed at Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling, facing Promise Braxton. The match is expected to air soon. Nattie is set to continue taking bookings outside WWE throughout the year.
And finally, Cody Rhodes recently reflected on his time on the independent circuit following his departure from WWE. During an appearance on his “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast, Rhodes recounted winning the ROH World Championship from Christopher Daniels at Best in the World 2017.
He shared that soon after the match, he received messages from both Kevin Owens and Triple H. He stated,
“You [Owens] actually texted me after Final Battle — wait, no, it was after I wrestled Christopher Daniels. It was you and Triple H who texted me, and I remember thinking, ‘Ah, they’re watching.’ I was having a good time and really enjoying myself.”
Rhodes went on to hold the ROH World Championship for 175 days.
