Paige was one of the top female superstars in the WWE, but the two-time Divas Champion had suffered a series of neck injuries that derailed her career - and the second one has tragically cut her career short.

On Monday Night Raw, Paige - after months of speculation - finally announced her retirement from in-ring competition during an emotional segment.

Paige had missed over a year of in-ring action after undergoing neck surgery in Sept. 2016. She finally returned on the Nov. 20 episode of Raw, introducing Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville as her sidekicks. The trio then formed the Absolution faction, but the alliance was short lived.

During a Dec. 27 house show, Paige re-injured her neck after receiving a kick from Sasha Banks. She was able to get up and leave under her own power, but had to leave the match. PWInsider.com reported shortly after that her in-ring career was over, but Paige delayed the announcement and accompanied Rose and Deville to the ring during their matches.

It's obviously sad and devastating news for the 25-year-old Paige, who was among the most successful and popular young talents on the female roster. She was instrumental in helping WWE launch the women's revolution, but she joins the likes of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and Edge as major talents who had to retire early because of neck injuries.

A number of fellow WWE female stars thanked Paige on Twitter:

Paige had an extremely brief yet successful run with the WWE, but she knows it's important to put safety and long-term health before a career. She accomplished aplenty and will always be credited for her involvement in pushing other top female superstars to new heights.

WWE superstars take risks every day with the moves they perform, but it's mostly disappointing for Paige given that she's young and was supposed to have plenty of epic moments left in her career.

NEXT: PAIGE PRANKS ABSOLUTION ON APRIL FOOL'S DAY AT WWE LIVE EVENT