Paige wants everyone to know that Sasha Banks is not to blame for her career-ending injury.
On December 27, 2017 at a live event, Banks kicked an unsuspecting Paige in bank, causing a whiplash effect that rendered Paige unable to continue. Four months later, Paige was forced to retire from in-ring competition. The 26-year-old had battled neck issues in the past, undergoing surgery in October 2016 and remaining out of action for over a year.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Paige detailed that Dec. 27 night.
"The thing is with me, right, that move where she kicks me in the back, I had taken that so many times previously that I was so stubborn and I thought 'I can still do these kind of things' and I thought my neck was just as strong as it was before, but, unfortunately, it's not," said Paige. "So I called this move and I told her to do it and so she did it, and unfortunately, my neck wasn't strong enough and it snapped all the way back and it was essentially the same as having a really bad car crash - the whiplash was." Paige continued, "My arms start losing the feeling and then I'm like 'oh my gosh, I can't feel my arms!' and I'm trying to grab her [Sasha's] legs and she's like 'you need to stop' and I'm like 'no, no, no. Wait, I can stand up, let me do this' and so I stand up, but then I fall straight back down and I'm like 'oh my gosh, I can't feel my body right now, this is crazy and I was so petrified I was like 'I think I'm paralysed'.
Many fans blamed Banks for ending the career of Paige, noting that it wasn't safe for Banks to kick someone with neck issues in the spine while they weren't looking. Paige is not among those who believe Banks is at fault.
"Nothing was ever Sasha's fault," Paige stated. "She got so much backlash and even in the ring and we were in there, people are chanting 'Sasha sucks' and it really upset me to hear that because it wasn't her fault.
Paige went on to say that Sasha never left her side and was crying the whole time. And when Paige knew she would be forced to retire, she didn't want to tell anyone. But she did tell Sasha.
"I remember just telling Sasha 'I can't wrestle anymore' and she was devastated, she started crying, crying her eyes out. I was like 'I'm so sorry', I think it's just a British thing to apologise!" Paige exclaimed. "But I was like 'I'm sorry, it's not your fault' and she's just been so, so supportive. She always texts me like 'hey, how are you doing, how things going?' you know, and she's just always been really great."
Paige would continue to appear on television throughout the winter, but never got physical. She retired on Raw on April 9, 2018. One night later, she was named as the new General Manager of SmackDown Live.
