WWE: Why the next chapter of Paige's career could be the best yet
Friday 13 April 2018 08:07, UK
Even for someone whose life has seemingly revolved around highs and lows, the past few days must have felt like a rollercoaster ride for Paige.
At WrestleMania on Sunday night the bittersweet journey began as she watched the women's battle royal from the commentary booth, providing witticisms in her familiar trans-Atlantic tones as her Absolution acolytes Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville came up short in their bids for the trophy.
Twenty-four hours later she found herself a few hundred yards away from the Super Dome, in New Orleans' Smoothie King Center, as she confirmed on Raw that - due to neck injuries - she will never be returning to the ring.
WWE Late Night Smackdown
Then on Tuesday, she was confirmed as SmackDown's general manager. "This is your house," was the chant from the crowd and, considering how infectious Paige's personality is, there is no doubt she will very quickly put her own unique stamp on the blue brand.
Before all of that came the media duties. Sky Sports was given an interview with Paige on Friday night and she was in typical 'rock star' Paige mode, talking of late nights on Bourbon Street with a smokers' laugh.
But there was also a hint of sadness, of vulnerability. Her injuries had been briefly and vaguely discussed off the record before the interview started. After it had finished, a hug came out of nowhere.
She, of course, knew what was coming, that she was just a few days away from confirming to her legion of fans around the world that her boots would soon be hung up forever.
It is a sad and enormously premature end to what has been an excellent career but should have been so much more.
Paige first set foot in a wrestling ring at the age of 13, as part of her family's World Association of Wrestling promotion in Norwich. The company continues today, even maintaining the great British tradition of running shows in holiday camps.
She was an important part - perhaps the most important part - of the WWE women's division's transition from the divas era of scantily-clad and aesthetically-pleasing female competitors to a time where athleticism and being a good role model for younger fans was paramount.
She recovered from numerous injuries and a horribly invasive crime to make a full return to the roster in November, but then suffered another medical setback just a month later. Every time, she has overcome the obstacles which have been placed so frequently in her path.
Her story will be told in the film "Fighting With My Family", which also stars and is being produced by The Rock. It was heavily promoted during WrestleMania, and each time got a great reaction in the Superdome.
As she said in her interview with Sky, Paige has a lot going on at the moment. She opened a clothing store in California in February. Now she is the general manager of SmackDown.
While it will infuriate and upset her that she will not be able to compete, the role is one which will allow her infectious personality and weapons-grade charisma to stay relevant and stay involved in WWE on a week-to-week basis.
At 25, she has way more of her career in front of her than behind her and she can still offer so much to the wrestling industry.
She has been through tougher times before and they have not destroyed her. Becoming the SmackDown general manager - and notably following in the footsteps of a similarly luckless Daniel Bryan - is just the next chapter in her dramatic life story. It might just be the best part yet.
