Saraya has announced she is stepping away from professional wrestling for the time being, but she has no intention of staying away for good. The former AEW star revealed that she plans to return to the ring before the year is out.

Back in March, Saraya confirmed her departure from All Elite Wrestling, describing it as a mutual decision between herself and the promotion. In a new interview with TV Insider, the 32-year-old shared her plans to explore opportunities outside the wrestling world while also reigniting her passion for in-ring competition later this year. She expressed interest in resuming training, ideally at Natalya’s gym in Florida.

“I would like to get back in the ring this year and really train and find myself again. I feel like I didn’t do that the past couple of years," Saraya explained. "I want to do the training side of things. I want to go to Nattie’s training. School and get in the ring with her. That’s my focus this year. I didn’t get to do a Royal Rumble or an Elimination Chamber or anything I didn’t get to do. Maybe down the line I will get to do them, who knows?”

Reflecting on how much women's wrestling has evolved, Saraya praised today’s generation of female talent for embracing opportunities she never had during her peak years in WWE.

“I’m proud of the women today. They get to do matches I wasn’t able to do in my time. This revolution started around my time. Now they get to do these stipulation matches the guys get to do," she continued. "It’s bittersweet for me because I think about how I wish I could be more involved in that, but at the same time, I’m proud of them all. They grabbed the brass ring and ran with it. They are doing amazing things. The women in all companies are absolutely killing it.”

Outside of wrestling, Saraya has kept herself busy with new creative ventures. Her memoir Hell in Boots: Clawing My Way Through Nine Lives hit shelves on March 25, followed just two days later by the launch of her podcast Rulebreakers. It was during the first episode of the podcast that she officially confirmed her AEW exit.

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