Saraya is stepping away from All Elite Wrestling.
The professional wrestler, who previously performed as Paige in the WWE, announces that she is officially parting ways with AEW in her forthcoming podcast Rulebreakers With Saraya (out Thursday), Entertainment Weekly can exclusively reveal.
The English wrestler explains her departure from the organization at the end of her first episode.
“I’m here to tell you that me and AEW’s relationship has come to an end,” Saraya says in the first ep of the podcast. “I had an amazing time there. There’s no bad blood between us. I had such a magical time.”
The wrestler explains that she wanted to take a “couple of months” off around the holidays for personal reasons. “And then I got to thinking — what is there left for me to do in wrestling right now? Right now, there’s really no storylines where I would fit in.” She also clarifies that her departure has “nothing to do” with AEW founder Tony Khan. “It’s just me thinking that I just don’t fit in right now. I feel like I might be taking someone else’s spot, someone who could be doing something really special,” she says.
Saraya does leave the door open for a potential return. “That’s not to say I will never come back to AEW — I absolutely love it,” she says. “But I’m taking a little step back and focusing on myself for a bit, and putting my energy into the podcast with all the crew here. What a wonderful crew I have here.”
The host remains appreciative for her time with the organization. “Thank you, AEW. Thank you to the AEW fans — I loved my f—ing time there,” she says. “Tony’s f—ing awesome. And anyone that goes to work there will just enjoy their time. It’s just great. And I’ll miss the girls’ locker room. I’ll miss you, but don’t be a f—ing stranger! You know where I am. I see some of you outside the company anyway.”
In an exclusive trailer for her podcast (above), Saraya also describes her forthcoming show as a “no B.S.” podcast where she interviews “the rebels, the misfits, the ones who refuse to take the easy way out.” The first season of Rulebreakers will feature guest appearances from fellow AEW wrestler Harley Cameron, musician Hayes Warner, Teen Mom star Kail Lowry, and comedians Brad Williams and Joe Stapleton.
“If they’ve shaken s— up, they’re on my list,” she says in the trailer. “We’re talking about the insane stories that no one else asked about, the fights, the failures, the moments that changed everything.”
Saraya will also release a number of guestless episodes that dive into her personal and professional life, including reflections on veganism and the challenges of supporting an incarcerated loved one.
Saraya previously fought under the name Paige in the WWE from 2011 to 2017, when she retired due to a neck injury. She joined AEW in 2022 and became the organization’s Women’s World Champion in August 2023.
Her life story and journey to the WWE after being born into a household of wrestling superfans was chronicled in the 2012 documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family, which was subsequently adapted into the 2019 biopic Fighting With My Family, starring Florence Pugh as Saraya, alongside Dwayne Johnson and Vince Vaughn.
Saraya also released the memoir Hell In Boots: Clawing My Way Through Nine Lives this week, which explores her famous wrestling family, struggle with substance abuse, overcoming a leaked sex tape, and recovering from a nearly career-ending injury.
Rulebreakers With Saraya is produced in partnership with Audacy and Denim Pictures and executive produced by Adam Reynolds and Leah Reis-Dennis. The first two episodes premiere on Thursday.
