As we reported earlier today here on eWn, Paige wrote a goodbye letter to WWE during a piece for the Players’ Tribune.
In an update on our earlier report, Paige thanked AJ Lee, Stephanie McMahon, and others in her op-ed.
You can check out some highlights below:
On who she wants to thank: “I’ve known this moment would be coming for a while, but it almost didn’t seem real. Now that it is real, though, I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude to people like A.J. — what an absolute badass she is. But she’s also so sweet and so thoughtful. I remember the first time we went on the road back to England, she got me this pair of Doc Martens with a Union Jack on the toe. Those little things that make someone feel cared about … that’s A.J. for you. I used to call her “my fairy godmother.” Gratitude to people like the Bellas, who took me under their wing when they definitely didn’t have to. This business hasn’t always been the most encouraging place for strong women, and I admire how Nikki and Brie just came in and said, “You know what? F*ck that.” The Bellas empowered me, and then they taught me how to empower myself.”
On those she wrestled with: “Also, seriously: the gratitude I feel toward each of the AMAZING women I shared a ring with!! While there are a million pieces to being a WWE Superstar, in the end for me it all comes back to wrestling. And that’s where a lot of my best memories are. Whether it’s my matches with Nattie (my favourite opponent), or with Emma (forever proud of the work we did in NXT), or countless others. When I first got to WWE, we weren’t very far removed from the time of bra-and-panties matches. A lot of people still considered the women’s match on every show to be the “pee break.” And 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.”
On a personal moment with Stephanie McMahon before her return in 2017: “And I’ll never forget this: As I was getting ready to go out there for my “re-debut,” Stephanie pulled me aside. And she just held me for a minute. She gave me the biggest, longest hug. And she said, “Hey — everyone out there loves you. They’re going to be excited to see you. You want to know why? Because you’re a survivor. You SURVIVED. And that means something. So hold your head up, and enjoy this moment. It’s yours.’ Stephanie was right (as usual). I went out there … and it was the most amazing feeling. No one hated me!! They were actually glad I was back. I was still Paige. The connection was still there.”
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