Ex-World Champion Wanted To Quit AEW Just Days After Making Debut
A former AEW star thought they’d made a mistake.
After spending just over a decade with WWE, Saraya left the company in July 2022 after her contract was allowed to expire. The British star had been out of the ring since late 2017 after suffering a second serious neck injury.
Despite initially believing her career was over, she signed with AEW just weeks later and made her debut at Grand Slam on September 21. Saraya eventually resumed her in-ring career with a win over Britt Baker that November before winning the Women’s Championship at All In.
However, she stepped away from the ring in April 2024, and it was announced she’d reached an agreement to leave the company in March 2025. That was despite her contract having around six months to run.
Saraya Wanted To Quit AEW
During an appearance on Daria and Toni Unwrapped, Saraya looked back on her time with AEW and the crimpling self-doubt that marred her early weeks with the company.
A week after making her debut, Saraya cut a promo on Dynamite, which was heavily criticised online and by many within the industry. Reflecting on that segment, she revealed that she wanted to quit the company altogether in the aftermath.
“It was f*cking bad. I literally stopped halfway through the promo and went, ‘I’m so sorry, you guys. I’m really nervous.’ I just didn’t know what to say. And then I literally said ‘revolution’ five times in a row and tripped over my words. And I’m like, ‘What the f*ck am I talking about?’
I came backstage and people were just looking down, trying to avoid eye contact with me.
I actually called my manager and I was like, ‘I think I made a mistake. I don’t think I should be here anymore. I need to leave. I cannot do this.’ And he was like, ‘You need to f*cking stick it out. People have bad promos. It’s not as bad as what you think it is. Just do another promo and they’ll forget about it.’ Which I did.
Moxley is the one that helped me with that second promo that I did with Britt, because I was like, ‘Dude, I can’t fck this up again.’ And he was so great… Moxley was the one that really fcking helped me get back into the promo swing of things again.”
Speaking elsewhere, Saraya announced that she’ll resume wrestling training in early 2026. Although she insisted that this doesn’t mean she’ll return to WWE, she’s been linked with a comeback ever since she left AEW.
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H/t to Wrestle Purists