Saraya Announces AEW Departure

Former women's champ Saraya has announced her departure from AEW. The news, announced exclusively on Entertainment Weekly, comes the day after the former WWE star known as Paige announced a brand new podcast venture, "Rulebreakers With Saraya."

"I'm here to tell you that me and AEW's relationship has come to an end," EW quotes Saraya saying in the first episode. "I had an amazing time there. There's no bad blood between us. I had such a magical time."

Saraya's announcement comes after months away from AEW. Her last match on television came in October 2024, when she lost a No. 1 Contender's four-way to WIllow Nightingale, alongside Nyla Rose and Jamie Hayter. Saraya had just shy of a dozen matches on AEW TV last year, spread out over episodes of "AEW Dynamite," "AEW Rampage" & "AEW Collision."

Saraya expressed her appreciation for her time with AEW and its president, Tony Khan: "Thank you, AEW. Thank you to the AEW fans — I loved my f***ing time there," she said. "Tony's f***ing awesome. And anyone that goes to work there will just enjoy their time. It's just great."

In January, Saraya told TMZ that her AEW contract was up in September, so it's unclear, currently, the terms under which Saraya is departing the promotion. With WrestleMania season in full swing, the timing certainly is interesting. It wouldn't' be the first time a highn-profile star returned at one of WWE's Big Four premium live events. CM Punk returned at Survivor Series 2023, shocking the world, and Becky Lynch returned at SummerSlam 2021 after more than a year away.