Paige says Shane McMahon helped her ignite a ‘new fire’ after in-ring retirement
Months after her in-ring retirement, Shane McMahon announced Paige’s WWE SmackDown return as the brand’s general manager in 2018.
After a few years in WWE, Paige parted ways with the promotion and joined AEW. Earlier this year at WrestleMania 42, she made her long-awaited return. Speaking to Stephanie McMahon on What’s Your Story? podcast, Paige revealed how Shane McMahon helped her ignite the ‘new fire’ in her.
“I got pulled to the side, and they were like, ‘Ok, we need you for SmackDown.’ I was like, Why? I don’t wrestle anymore.’ When I came back the next day, it was like Road Dogg and the writers all cornered me; they were like, ‘Ok, you’re gonna be GM.’ I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is great,'” she said.
“Your brother (Shane McMahon) was the one who introduced me, the crowd erupted, and it kind of gave me a new fire. It got me really excited to come to work because it was something completely new. I wasn’t in the division anymore, so I didn’t have to worry about is my time was going to be cut, the matches. I just had to worry about the five or six promos I had to do live that day, which is intimidating.”
Now undergone neck surgery and cleared for in-ring action, Paige is officially back as a WWE competitor and is already the new women’s tag-team champion.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
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