We know it’s inevitable. The woman formerly known as Paige, whose real name is Saraya, which is a beautiful name I might add, has an expiring WWE Contract on July 15th, and she has stated she is not renewing it. Saraya was put out of action after a terrible accident by Sasha Banks back in 2018. We haven’t seen her in the ring since Sasha accidentally, and I want to emphasize that word, ACCIDENTLY, ended her career. It was no fault of Sasha’s. So many things can, and do, go wrong in the ring. It was a horrible accident, but thankfully it could have been a whole lot worse. In her statement, it was pretty much made clear that Saraya plans to return to the ring. The question is where, when, and in what capacity? Women like Mickie James, an absolute legend, are still in the ring, while others like AJ Mendez, are taking a back seat to action and running behind the scenes.
That being said, we’re assuming Saraya plans to return to the ring, so here are ten women I would personally love to see her wrestle upon her return. Note, none of these women is in WWE, because her contract is up and she will not be returning.
Honourable Mention: Ashley Rose. Currently holding 48 titles, wrestling in tens of thousands of matches, and even beating Brock Lesnar, Omas, Viking Raiders, and Mark Henry in a 5-on-1 handicapped match and pinning every single one of them in succession, she would give Saraya a run for her money. If she wrestled…
10. Billie Starkz.
Space Jesus, Bill-I-Am, Blue Gremlin, the youngest on my list at only 18 years of age, Billie has already won a couple of championships and has 3 years of ring experience. Ignore the trash some people have written about her and her “lack of experience.” Let’s see you get in the ring and fight. This girl balances full-time school and wrestling and still manages to put on a hell of a show. She’s very active on social media and always promotes where she’s going to be.
Billie is part of the BIg Starkz Brand and for her, few years of experience, has gone toe to toe with some pretty decent names in the indie circuit, and a glance at her cagematch match-list shows just how active she is.
Billie has a lot of matches under her belt for only 18, and as much as I’d love to see her vs Saraya, I’d like even more for Saraya to join BSB and tag with Billie.
9. Kiera Hogan
Kiera left for AEW and has been shining on her own, much like her former partner Tasha. Both women have really come into their own since the split up, and both are taking a spotlight all their own, and I love seeing it. Two strong, independent women making a name together, and still making names apart. Kiera is doing great things in AEW right now, while Tasha is doing great things in Impact. Maybe we could get a reunion, Kiera and Tasha vs Saraya and my number one pick? That would be an insane match.
8. Taya Valkyrie.
I’ll be honest. I don’t know much about her, but from what I’ve seen from her on Impact and MLW, she’s a force to be reckoned with. This Canadian-born wrestler and current AAA Reina de Reina’s Champion, also holding the record for most combined days holding the belt, has a long history in more promotions than I can even manage to count. She has the experience, the following, and the fight to go toe to toe with Saraya.
7. Janai Kai, the Kick Demon.
Janai has a really unique look to her, and her kicks are lightning-fast. Some of the fastest I’ve seen in the ring, and her combined use of Muay Thai and kickboxing is very unique and not something you see in wrestling these days. Reserved more for MMA, Janai is explosive in the ring, and lightning-fast. It’s rumoured that the crack you hear when her foot or leg connects is actually her breaking the sound barrier with a kick, they’re that fast…
She’s another young indie talent with only a few years in the ring herself, but that doesn’t stop Janai. Her feet will educate you real fast if you doubt this young fighter in the ring. Saraya’s smash-mouth style vs her lightning kicks would be a hell of a fight.
6. Blair Onyx
The Spider Queen herself. Blair Onyx is new by comparison to a lot of the wrestlers, her career starting in 2018, but don’t count this young Spider down. With insane flexibility, a fantastic ring awareness, and one of the best arsenals I’ve seen in a wrestler, calling Blair “Young and Inexperienced” as I’ve seen is a major mistake. Blair fights in the ring like she’s been doing it her entire life, and that’s saying something for this young 24-year-old.
Bell to Belles named Blair as someone to watch back in 2020, and she has proven time and time again, “all eyes on me”. All eight of them. Because she’s a spider… She… never mind.
I saw Blair in person twice, once at GLCW where she started as a manager and wound up wrestling in the match. The match was very confusing and no one really knew what was happening, but I was transfixed watching this woman bend and twist and turn in all sorts of directions, living up to her Spider nickname. Pairing her with Saraya in a match? That’s what we call money.
5. Christi Jaynes.
Once a friend of Skye Blue, turned evil, Christi has gone toe to toe with a lot of the best of the best… Skye Blue, Thunder Rosa, just to name a couple. Christi, like Skye, knows when to turn on the heat. However, she relies way too much on outside interference as of late, with one-half of the GREATEST tag team to EVER grace a ring, La Sociedad Boricua’s own Axel Rico, even participating in a few inter-gender tag matches against La Sociedad Boricua.
But don’t count Christi out just because she aligns herself with greatness. Nothing can stop her, not even a fan, as seen in this video I took;
4. Dr. Britt Baker {D.M.D.}
The good doctor herself, Britt Baker, against Saraya? Man, sign me up, shut up and take my money! Former AEW Women’s Champion, current Owen Hart Memorial winner, and best friend of Tony Schiavone, the good Doctor is, in fact, an actual dentist. Dr. Baker uses that to her advantage, as for a while there she was busting teeth out in AEW in matches. Thankfully we moved on from that phase, but if you need your teeth looked at after she busts them out, then book an appointment with Dr. Britt Baker. I’d call her a brawler in the ring. Britt hits, and she hits hard.
Though she relies on her partners in crime to do most of her dirty work, Dr. Baker is not a slouch herself. Boasting an impressive record in AEW of 49 to 26 (As of June 2022), the good doctor would put on a hell of a fight against Saraya, and, I daresay, one on one could probably beat her.
3. Lady Frost.
Wife of the Real Savage Gentleman, Lady Frost is one hell of an impressive woman. Together with her husband, the Savage Gentlemen, these two make a formidable tag team. But on her own, Lady Frost is a force to be reckoned with. Lady Frost started around the same time as the Spider Queen Blair Onyx and only boasting 4 years of ring experience, Lady Frost demonstrates that a ring veteran can be of any length of ring experience. With her savage kicks and amazing aerial control, Lady Frost and Saraya would make an even better tag team than opponents in my opinion.
Maybe Saraya should sign with Impact in that case, and take the Knockouts tag belts because these two together? Amazing. Against each other? Even more amazing.
2. HollyHood Haley J.
The rightful OVW women’s champion, I don’t care what you say. This woman is a powerhouse second-generation wrestler, much like Saraya. One of my favourite quotes from Hayley is when she said she was a second-generation wrestler, and someone asked who her dad was… “ITS MY MOM!”, Amazing Maria.
Hayley has gone face to face with the best of the best and survived. She never used a sock of rocks, that’s all hearsay. She is a two-time OVW Women’s champion and in my opinion still current, as she never lost her belt.
I got to meet Hayley once at Blizzard Brawl, where she said she was a fan of my #1 pick. She also boasts of being OVW Women’s Champion 1 short year into the company, an accomplishment not many can boast about. We don’t count that current joke of a champion in WWE from MMA. HollyHood is quick and resourceful, knowing her area at all times, and using whatever in the environment she can as a weapon, which gives her a big advantage.
1. Skye Blue.
Young, athletic, and full of talent, Skye would be a great match for Saraya. Their styles compliment each other, Saraya with the smash-mouth in your face, Skye mostly with the tactician. But if anyone watched AAW, you know Skye can hang with anyone, man or woman, in a match. Skye has taken fights into the crowds, into my chair as a matter of fact, on top of bars, through crowds, INTO audience members, the sky, pun intended, is the limit for this young athlete. Skye has a bright future ahead of her and shows no signs of slowing down. The former AAW Women’s Champion and former CSW women’s Champion has shown on AEW as well that she can hold her own in a challenge, and Skye vs Saraya? Yes, please! @AAWPro can you make it happen??
So there you have it. My list that turned out to be independent women who Saraya, FKA Paige, would be a dream to see. Keep in mind these are my personal picks. I guess you can tell I sort of having a thing for the indie scene vs big brands. Nothing wrong with AEW mind you, but the women I listed, some of them, if not all, are just as good, if not better, than WWE stars. Questions, comments? Hit me up on Twitter, @its_riley02. Complaints? Send them to our sponsor, the Nigerian Prince with the alpaca farm…