Saraya Bevis

Saraya Bevis
Bevis in 2022
Birth nameSaraya-Jade Bevis
Born (1992-08-17) 17 August 1992 (age 32)
Norwich, England
PartnerRonnie Radke (2018–present)
Relatives
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)
Billed height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[1][2][3]
Billed weight120 lb (54 kg)[1]
Billed fromNorwich, England[1][2][3]
Trained by
DebutMay 8, 2005[1][7]
Signature

Saraya-Jade Bevis (/səˈreɪə/; born 17 August 1992) is an English professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs mononymously as Saraya.[9] She is currently the leader of The Outcasts and is a former one-time AEW Women's World Champion. She is also known for her time with WWE under the ring name Paige. She was the youngest female champion in WWE history, a two-time WWE Divas Champion, and the inaugural NXT Women's Champion. She also remains the only woman to hold both a WWE and NXT Women's Championship simultaneously.[10]

In 2005, at the age of 13, Bevis made her debut under the ring name Britani Knight for her family's World Association of Wrestling (WAW) promotion. She went on to hold several championships on the European independent circuit. After talent scouting in England, WWE signed Bevis in 2011 and she began wrestling in its developmental systems, debuting in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in 2012 and later going on a winning streak in NXT. She made her surprise debut on the main roster in 2014 and immediately won the Divas Championship, making her the youngest Divas Champion at the age of 21.[11][12]

In 2015 and 2016, Bevis went on hiatus due to injury, undergoing neck surgery in October 2016. She suffered another neck injury in December 2017 that forced her into retirement. Following her retirement, she remained with WWE as a contributor to WWE-related programs and fulfilled managing roles until her contract with the company expired in July 2022. In September 2022, she signed with AEW and made her debut for the company at Grand Slam.

In 2012, Channel 4 produced a documentary about Bevis and her family called The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family, which was later adapted into the biographical sports comedy-drama film Fighting with My Family (2019), starring Florence Pugh as Bevis. She ranked No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Female 50 in 2014, and was named Diva of the Year by Rolling Stone that same year. In 2018, she received the WWE Year-End Award for General Manager of the Year.

  1. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference EVE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c "Paige profile". Florida Championship Wrestling/NXT. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "WWE Bio". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference FCWdebut was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference wilkes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b "A NEW PAIGE IN HISTORY – Interview with Paige (Issue 106 May 2014)". Fighting Spirit Magazine. 9 February 2015. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference interview2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference interview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Saraya Makes AEW Debut On 9/21 Dynamite Grand Slam | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  10. ^ "WWE Divas Champion Paige: 'I lost my mind when I beat AJ Lee'". Independent.co.uk. 9 April 2014. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Where does Tyler Bate rank among the youngest champions in WWE history?". WWE. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  12. ^ "Youngest WWE Divas champion". Guinness World Records. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2022.