Saraya was only recently medically cleared to return to the ring on Halloween, and doctors have told her that she can begin with one match per month, but that will change.
As previously stated, Saraya was cleared for in-ring action on last night’s AEW Dynamite, and she will return to the ring against Britt Baker at AEW Full Gear later this month. Following last night’s Dynamite, Saraya took to Twitter to reveal a letter from her doctor proving she’s medically cleared to compete. She also praised AEW for the Full Gear card, addressed criticism, and asked fans to name her moves. The article can be found by clicking here.
Saraya recently appeared on The Sessions with Renee Paquette and revealed that she has been cleared for in-ring action on Halloween, October 31. Doctors have advised her to begin with one match per month.
“When I came in, I didn’t really know what the deal was, I just knew that I was going to be part of something and we were going to build something special here,” Saraya said. “But then when I got there, got the great reaction when I walked out, and I was like, ‘oh my god’ and you can’t put a pro-wrestler out there and tell them that they can’t do anything else.”
“I came to terms with not being able to wrestle anymore and that’s fine, although a couple of years ago I did do some x-rays and they were looking great but I didn’t do the full MRI. I just did the x-rays because I was a little nervous about doing the MRI a couple of years ago so I was just like, okay, they’re looking good, maybe in a couple of years it starts getting better but I’m not going to rush it because Edge was out for like nine years, Stone Cold had that match with Kevin Owens but he didn’t bump much.”
Saraya went on to say that she thought she’d be able to work a match similar to Kevin Owens vs. WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38 at the time.
“I was like, I could probably pull off doing a Stone Cold match. It was just in my head because in the match, you wouldn’t think that there wasn’t a crazy amount of bumps because the story they told was so fantastic,” she said.
Saraya stated that she discussed wrestling with AEW President Tony Khan, who suggested she work some tag team matches. Saraya stated that if she were to return to the ring, she would prefer to work a singles match.
She said, “I remember talking to the doctors and they were like, ‘OK, you can do this, but we’re not going to clear you to take a bump.’ I went out there with Britt and we did our own thing. I didn’t ask clearance from the doctor there, I’m going to be honest. He was cool with it, he was just like, ‘please don’t take a bump, you’re not ready to take bumps yet.’ So he was like, ‘if you want to actually have matches, we have to get you completely cleared, that means MRIs, CT scans, everything.’”
Saraya stated that she did not want to see a doctor associated with professional wrestling.
“Halloween, perfect day, I went to the doctor here in California, one of the best doctors around. He did a bunch of NFL, NBA, all these huge action stars, celebrities, actors & actresses, and all that fun stuff,” she said.
Saraya went on to say that she had x-rays, CT scans, and everything else done on the same day. She later met with the doctor to discuss the findings.
“Then he sat there and went through them all and he was just like, ‘you’re cleared’ and I just burst into tears,” she recalled.
The doctor told Saraya that her neck fusions looked perfect and that there were no fractures or other issues. She then inquired about the possibility of paralysis.
“I was like, let’s talk about paralysis. He said, ‘it’s rare’ and if you get kicked there, you have some cushion now. And if you ever feel like you’re not feeling too well, take some time off. You know your body but I will clear you to get back in the ring again,” she said.
Saraya then revealed that her doctor advised her to begin with one match per month and gradually increase to more.
“Long story short, Halloween is when I got the full clearance. I called my parents, I was crying my eyes out,” she recalled.
Saraya hasn’t wrestled since the WWE live event on Long Island, New York on December 27, 2017. Sasha Banks kicked her in the back, and the match was called off. Saraya revealed that once she was medically cleared, she texted Banks.
“The first person I texted as well was Mercedes, Sasha. She was one of the first people I texted. All that stuff, that can mentally fuck someone up to end someone’s career,” she said. “I just said, ‘Hey sis, I just want to let you know since I know this whole thing was tough on you mentally but my doctor just cleared me and told me my neck is 100% ready to go. I haven’t told anyone else but I know this will make you feel good. I’m back, haha.’ And she was over the moon and stuff like that.”
Here is Saraya’s complete interview:
