Paige Cried After Learning She Was Medically Cleared for WWE Return and Says She Is Eight Years Sober

Getting medically cleared to return to WWE was not just a professional milestone for Paige — it was a deeply personal and emotional moment rooted in everything she missed the first time her career was taken away from her. Speaking on What’s Your Story with Stephanie McMahon, Paige described crying after receiving the clearance news following a 10-hour medical appointment in Birmingham.

“It was a couple of things. The fact that my neck was good. And the last time I was in WWE, my neck wasn’t, and I had to retire. And I had to miss out on all these massive things like the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, all these things I didn’t get to be a part of, even though I was part of the group that helped kind of ignite that. And it’s just the fact that I’m going to be okay,” Paige said. She also revealed she is now eight years sober — a significant personal milestone given that her first WWE run included two Wellness Policy suspensions and what she described as being “a bit of a mess.” Stephanie McMahon added that there was genuine concern for Paige within WWE at that time, saying she told Paige during her 2017 return that she was glad she was still alive.