How to Bring Paige Back to the WWE

Since 27th June 2016, the WWE Universe has yet to see Paige appear on their television screens. The former two-time Divas Champion was, at her zenith, at the forefront of the entire women’s roster, providing some much-needed depth into a division in dire need of a rebuild. It’s no secret that wrestling fans still remember Paige, but not necessarily with fondness at her vicious submission-based skills, her decorated career at such a young age, and the raging fire she brought to the ring. Rather, having known and seen far too deeply into a young lady’s personal life that taints such memories.

The question remains: what could WWE do, and what should they do to bring Paige back to the company?

The self-proclaimed “Anti-Diva” has proven to be something of an anomaly in WWE. A second-generation athlete, born into a wrestling family, and already, at the age of 25, a champion in multiple countries and federations. As far as accomplishments go, Paige alone has more than enough credentials to stand afoot comfortably in the land of the giants known as WWE. She has the benefit of youth on her side, having wrestled professionally since the age of 13, and possessing the ability to carry herself in a ring that few her age could possibly hope to achieve.

She could be, and arguably should be, somebody who the WWE’s women’s division is entirely built around. As far as WWE have attempted to restore semblances of credibility, legitimacy and respect to women on the roster, Paige fits right in that picture. She was already making waves in a feud with AJ Lee that saw her capture the Divas Championship on her first night on the main roster, the night after WrestleMania 30, while still the reigning (and first-ever) NXT Women’s Champion, which she never lost.

However, as the “Women’s Revolution” came about in late 2015, Paige took something of a back seat as the forerunners of NXT’s greatest collection of female talent made their way to WWE’s main roster. It started with Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks, and Bayley eventually made her way just under a year later. While WWE has spent considerable time building the women’s division around these four in ways they see fit, Paige, arguably, was one who provided much of the ground work.

If the Four Horsewomen of NXT are the standard bearers of the WWE women’s division as we know it, then Paige is debatably the one who made the first crack in that proverbial glass ceiling.

In days of old, WWE has viewed female talent as secondary to their male counterparts. When WWE was dominating the Monday Night Wars with WCW, they saw no issue with utilising the talent on display in ways that would be condemned today. WWE had no issue with hiring models (with little to no wrestling experience) and instead of emphasising their talents, the company exposed them (sometimes quite literally) for means of sex appeal and cheers from the male audience. Bra and Panties and Evening Gown matches were common, as were Bikini and Lingerie Contests, and any wrestling matches that happened between the talent were forgotten very quickly, and rarely featured anything of pure athleticism, talent and sophisticated ring-work. In hindsight, while it did particularly good ratings, it does not ring true to follow the same practice today.

The reality is, WWE are aware of what they used to do, and at least at face value, they are attempting to wholeheartedly rectify their poor judgement of women. Instead, the company attempts to redefine its perception of women, as well as the audiences. No longer do the ladies have 30 second matches on TV, and the idea of a swimsuit competition taking place on Raw is nothing short of laughable. The term “Diva” was what the company used to collectively assign its female talent to being. Etymology aside, the term itself has become dated and archaic, being colloquially linked to a woman who is “self-important, temperamental and easy to please” – which, if we look deeper, is not what a publicly-traded company wants. Hence why in 2016, they ditched their Divas Championship and rechristened the Women’s Championship, and now both their television shows have unique divisions with their own title belts.

Paige herself was caught in a bit of limbo between all this taking place. Her character was, in essence, everything wrong with a “diva”. She was this no-nonsense unforgiving ass-kicker with a thirst for proving why she was the best woman on the roster. She knew exactly how desirable she was, naturally, and utilised her skills to her advantage every time she stepped into the ring. Her rival for much of 2015, AJ Lee, had famously cut a vicious promo at the women who had been cast in the show Total Divas, saying that they had abandoned their values and morals for cheap fame and reality television. Her words had some truth to them, and would have been truer for Paige, had she not starred in the subsequent series of the shows, but I digress.

So, the question remains, with all that has happened in Paige’s relatively short time on WWE television, how do you bring her back after a year of inactivity?

Let’s look at what has happened since Paige’s last appearance on WWE television. It was right before the 2016 WWE Draft. Prior to that, her relationship with WWE alumnus Alberto Del Rio went public. The two were sent to different shows, with Del Rio going to SmackDown and Paige going to Monday Night Raw. Paige obviously has yet to appear on the single-branded show; meanwhile, Del Rio spent all of a few weeks doing nothing much on SmackDown, before losing to John Cena and requesting his release from WWE a second time. Since then, Del Rio has gone on to make appearances in Lucha Underground, GFW/Impact Wrestling and What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW).

While both were in WWE, on 17th August 2016, they were suspended for 30 days for violating the company’s wellness policy. She announced that she would be having neck surgery and would not be wrestling for a while, and then in October she was suspended again for another wellness policy violation, for 60 days this time. During this time, stories about Paige and Del Rio’s relationship were plaguing wrestling insider sheets, but not in ways that either would have liked. From their engagement one year ago to incidents involving screaming, flying drinks, alcohol and drug related allegations and a domestic abuse episode which may or may not have been true. The beauty of wrestling news ambiguity.

Sadly, for Paige, what came out a few months ago might have sealed the deal for her WWE career, as private sexual photos and videos were leaked to the internet. Considering how outspoken now-deceased wrestler Chyna was about the company’s refusal to welcome her back into the fold due to her pursuing a career in the porn industry, the writing may just be written on the wall for Paige. With Paige, the company quickly altered her stable name (the Submission Sorority) because the name itself had links with adult content – so who’s to say they will even think twice about bringing a wrestler, who has now had their body exposed on the internet, back on TV as if nothing has happened?

The simple answer is: WWE brings her back as she debuted – a surprise. She has already announced on social media that she has been training at the Performance Center for a return, and been medically cleared, so right now, it is only a matter of time. WWE’s casual fans don’t really have much of an idea as to what happens on social media every single day, so it is hard to keep that element of surprise as an actual surprise, but it is not impossible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_qpno578G4

The idea that the internet has damaged what is left of her credibility is comical. Seth Rollins had the same treatment happen to him; nude photos of him were leaked and he was brought back into the fold with no repercussions. In fact, he went on to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion twice. Paige has been known as a straight shooting and badass girl with no time for BS, and so that’s how they should re-establish her character.

The timing could not be better really. Asuka is set to debut at the Raw-exclusive TLC pay-per-view this Sunday, and rumours have circulated that Paige could return on SmackDown Live. That’s ideal in many ways. I mentioned earlier how Paige got called up to WWE while still NXT Women’s Champion, a title which she never lost. Well, Asuka has that same accomplishment to her name, and therefore could be a viable target of Paige’s new-found vitriol.

In an ideal world, the scenario writes itself. On SmackDown Live, the roster’s current Women’s Champion Natalya is embroiled in a feud with Charlotte – both of whom are multi-generation athletes. Guess who else is? Paige could insert herself into the title picture right away by foretelling her family’s history of wrestling, how she grew up in the business learning from her mother, and how her recent trials and tribulations had clouded her judgment of who she is capable of being. Now, she is back on SmackDown, ready to reclaim a title she hasn’t held, and one to add to her impressive resume. But she is going to do it by proving that her family’s legacy is more valuable than that of the Flairs and the Harts – a bold claim!

To further the continuous element of surprise, fantasy booking comes into play here. On SmackDown Live, Natalya issues an open challenge to anyone on the roster to challenge for her title, out comes Paige unexpectedly. Much like 2015, in her first match, she wins the belt, returning to WWE television in the same way she debuted. In the words of Alan Partridge, “straight away, you’ve got them by the jaffas.”

Thinking about some of the feuds that exist on SmackDown Live for Paige, the division does indeed need someone like her to bolster the ranks. Her feud with Charlotte Flair resulted in some decent matches as they showed good chemistry together, and that could be revisited. Natalya, an old rival, was capable of bringing out the best in her too. Paige also has new foes in Carmella and the alliance of Lana and Tamina, while Naomi still has nothing to do at present. As for Becky Lynch, her and Paige go way back – former tag team partners and independent circuit veterans – now on the same roster. Well, who is going to seize their moment in the Land of Opportunity?

One potential idea has the multi-generation wrestlers on SmackDown Live forming some sort of stable. Charlotte, Natalya, Tamina and Paige as a quartet could bring some interesting scenarios, especially in the run-up to Survivor Series. Either as partners or opponents, the multi-generation aspect of these women’s characters is something that could, and should be at the epicentre of their character development and feud. As it’s happening right now between Natalya and Charlotte, it seems a perfect time for Paige to return.

From a publicity standpoint (I work in PR, I am conditioned to think like this), the upcoming film Fighting With My Family is drawing ever closer to finishing. Getting Paige back on television soon should be a priority to maximise exposure and interest in the film, and that should involve the subject of the movie itself being at the forefront of the WWE women’s division where she belongs.