“I Wish I Could Have Been A Part Of It, But There’s More To It …”

Saraya has finally addressed the online buzz surrounding her absence from the 2026 WWE Women’s Royal Rumble.

Former WWE and AEW Women’s World Champion Saraya, formerly known as Paige, sparked heavy speculation earlier this year after posting several videos of herself training inside a wrestling ring.

The clips quickly caught fire across social media, leading many fans to believe a surprise WWE return could be imminent, especially with the Royal Rumble approaching.

Saraya had previously stated she intended to resume training in the new year as she explored the possibility of an in-ring comeback, which only fueled the rumors further.

While speaking on Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Wrestling with Freddie podcast, Saraya opened up about not appearing in the 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble and the overwhelming reaction from fans who expected, and hoped, she would be involved.

“A lot of people were mad that I wasn’t in the (Royal) Rumble, and a lot of people thought I was gonna be number 30 too,” she said. “I’ve had that much support before but, I thought I had lost all that support, because of all my controversy. But it was just absolutely bonkers. There was thousands of videos across all platforms on just a couple of training videos. It was at 13 million a couple of days ago and now it’s like 18 million. It is just absolutely insane. I cried one day because of it, because I’m just like, ‘I can’t believe people still love me. This is crazy.’”

She went on to explain why the Women’s Royal Rumble carries such deep personal significance for her, reflecting on the timing of her forced retirement and how close, yet far, she was from being part of that historic moment.

“I wish I could be in the Rumble and there was a viral video circulating of the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble, and it was the same year I got told I couldn’t wrestle again and no one knew it at the time, and then fast-forward, I do my retirement speech day after WrestleMania but, no one knew at the time so I wasn’t part of it and I was backstage in Gorilla and I’m really emotional. They have images of me backstage just crying, just being like, ‘This is what I’ve always dreamed of. This is what I wanna be a part of. I hope one day I can be a part of it again…’”

Saraya noted that those emotional moments resurfaced as fans rallied behind her potential return, hoping this year would finally be her chance.

“It was viral as well, and everyone’s just like hoping that I was gonna be in this Rumble, that I finally get to be a part of that, that I’ve always dreamed of being a part of. So yeah, it was incredible. I wish I was part of it but there’s more to it. WWE has to make that decision. Not me… Everyone obviously wants me to go back.”

Oh you know.. just getting some ring rust off with my girl @_VIPRESS 😌🖤⚡️ pic.twitter.com/bvBZc5FnLR

— SARAYA (@Saraya) January 23, 2026