Paige is officially back in WWE, and the moment went down in a big way at WrestleMania 42 inside Allegiant Stadium.

After reports began circulating just a day earlier, the surprise became reality on Saturday night as the former Divas Champion, known to many fans recently as Saraya, made an unexpected appearance as part of the Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal Four Way Match. The crowd erupted as she was revealed as a last minute addition to the bout.

The original match was set to feature champions Nia Jax and Lash Legend defending against Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and The Bella Twins. However, plans changed when Nikki Bella was ruled out due to an ankle injury sustained weeks earlier on SmackDown.

In a memorable WrestleMania moment, Brie Bella introduced her replacement and revealed she had called in someone very familiar to step in, leading to Paige’s return. The surprise instantly elevated the atmosphere and added another layer of excitement to an already stacked match.

This appearance marks Paige’s first time competing inside a WWE ring in nearly ten years. Her last match came in late 2017 when a serious neck injury forced her away from in ring competition and was widely believed to have ended her career.

Following that setback, she remained part of WWE programming in non wrestling roles, including a run as SmackDown General Manager and later managing Asuka and Kairi Sane during their early run as a team.

She eventually departed WWE in mid 2022 and resurfaced in AEW shortly after, competing under her real name Saraya. During her time there, she captured the AEW Women’s Championship in a high profile four way match at All In London 2023. While her run featured ups and downs, she played a key role behind the scenes, mentoring several rising names.

After parting ways with AEW earlier this year, she stepped away from the ring with the intention of regrouping and returning when she felt fully ready. WrestleMania 42 provided the stage for that comeback, delivering one of the night’s most talked about surprises.

Paige makes a surprise return to the WWE pic.twitter.com/eq2w9ZCeXJ

, FearBuck (@FearedBuck) April 18, 2026