Paige’s WWE career did not play out the way she expected, with an early retirement from the ring due to injuries. The start of her time in wrestling as a teenager allowed her the opportunity to sign with WWE at a younger age than most. Paige accomplished a lot during her stints in NXT and on the main roster.
Each chapter of her career in wrestling has provided different levels of success. Paige certainly preferred wrestling in the ring over anything else, but she has done well in other aspects of the sport since retiring as well. Even her time in the ring showcased different sides to her game. Find out which versions of Paige stand out, as each will be ranked from the worst to the best.
10 Managing Kabuki Warriors
WWE tried to utilize Paige as a manager when she represented the tag team of Asuka and Kairi Sane as the Kabuki Warriors. Sane was called up to the main roster from NXT and placed into the duo with Asuka, as Paige did the talking for them due to their language barrier.
The fit just didn’t feel right, as Paige’s promos didn’t match the Kabuki Warriors' style. Asuka and Kairi also knew enough English and had enough charisma to get by without a manager. The Kabuki Warriors thrived when Paige was removed as their manager, to dominate the women’s tag team division.
9 Heel Feuding With Charlotte
One of the worst versions of Paige as a wrestler came after her heel turn on Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. WWE placed Charlotte and Paige into an intensely personal program over the Divas Championship, expecting successful results.
Paige tried playing an edgier character that instantly jumped the shark when she mocked the death of Charlotte’s younger brother Reid Flair. The feud was a disaster and Paige turned face shortly after her heel run flopped as an edgy villain.
8 Broadcaster
Paige's current role in WWE sees her trying her hand at broadcasting. WWE struggled to find the right position for Paige after she lost her role as Smackdown General Manager, until WWE Backstage was created.
Renee Young and Paige were the main members of the panel discussing WWE issues with Booker T and Christian joining them. Paige was solid in the role, but the show never hit its stride and ended up being cancelled faster than expected. Fox still has the occasional show dealing with WWE, and Paige is usually brought back for those.
7 PCB
WWE tried to make faction warfare the early beginning to the women’s evolution. Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch were called up to the main roster to team with Paige in the PCB faction against Team Bella and Team Bad.
Paige was initially the leader of PCB as the biggest star, until Charlotte’s push surpassed her own after a couple of months. All three wrestlers sacrificed to work together, but Paige took a backseat, as she lost her role as leader quite quickly.
6 Heel Vs AJ Lee
WWE tried to keep Paige as the face and AJ Lee as the heel during their rivalry back in 2014. However, the fan base’s support of Lee as a heel would force WWE to pivot, by having Paige turn heel and AJ turning into the face.
Paige mirrored some of Lee's creepy stalker habits in the hopes of getting under the latter's skin, as they exchanged the Divas Championship on a few occasions. This was the weakest chapter of their program, since Paige’s turn felt extremely forced.
5 Teaming With AJ Lee
The strange bond between Paige and AJ Lee saw them going from being rivals to tag team partners in 2015. Brie and Nikki Bella were their common rivals, forcing them to team up in the hopes of standing a chance against the twins on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
WrestleMania 31 featured the ladies having a rare non-lumberjill or battle royal match on the biggest show of the year at the time. Paige and Lee had strong chemistry from their time working against each other to have a fun short team run before AJ retired.
4 Absolution
A long absence for Paige following her neck surgery and various other issues would see her returning in shocking fashion. Paige introduced new stars Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, as the heel trio formed Absolution.
Unfortunately, another injury would end Paige’s time in the ring quickly and forced her into a managing role. Paige looked impressive during her short run back wrestling, and she did well as a manager as well, due to her chemistry with Rose and Deville.
3 Underdog Divas Champion
Paige had one of the best main roster call-ups of all time, when she beat AJ Lee for the Divas Championship on her first night. The Raw after WrestleMania 30 featured diehard fans familiar with Paige’s NXT work reacting with a huge ovation.
WWE started to elevate her as one of the top new stars of the women’s division. Paige connected with the audience and clearly had potential to become a massive name. Even though she was unable to hit her full potential, Paige had some of her greatest success during this time in her career.
2 General Manager
One of the Paige's biggest opportunities came around when she was named the Smackdown General Manager in 2018. Daniel Bryan coming out of retirement meant he would give up the role, and Paige seemed like the perfect choice to replace him after her retirement.
Paige thrived in the role, playing a rare face authority figure, making wise moves for the betterment of Smackdown. The use of social media saw Paige getting involved in spats between wrestlers that became matches, adding new logic to the role. Unfortunately, WWE wanting to “shake things up” saw them dropping the GM roles with the McMahon family running both shows and fans know just how well that turned out.
1 NXT Star
Triple H went all in on pushing Paige in the early stages of NXT. It became clear right away that Triple H valued women’s wrestling more than Vince McMahon ever did, when fans witnessed the rise of Paige as the NXT Women’s Champion.
Paige and Emma were given time to have strong matches that made fans realize how good the women’s division could be. NXT saw Paige become a cornerstone in the women’s evolution. She never even lost the NXT Women’s Championship, as it was vacated following her call-up to the main roster.