The return of Paige has me thinking..

[The Yes Guy]

When was the last time a newer (not the AE stars like Trish and Lita) female wrestler was cheered on her return.?

The pop that Paige received was not unlike one a returning male wrestler would get. This made me think of how far the women's division has come from it's time in the PG era. While it still has some booking problems, WWE has succeeded in creating female superstars who have risen to a level where the crowd cares enough to give em' this huge a pop..

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Does the length of the absence matter? I'd argue that Sasha got some pretty big pops for her return. Nikki Bella got a surprisingly big pop for her return from whatever was wrong with her neck.

Plus was Paige's pop that big? She had to ask for cheers at one point and it fell kind of flat.

But yeah, the point is made that WWE has had a long dearth of female talent that brought out emotions and not just erections.

 

[#hamler]

I agree the pop was pretty great and unlike anything I would expect for a female wrestler - and it was well deserved.

However, I'm pretty sure that's due to how dry the division has been lately. Paige returning is a breath of fresh air into a division that's been floundering for the better part of the last couple of months. You said it yourself, the women's division (men's too, really) has booking problems and it's pretty obvious the writers aren't putting their all into storytelling anymore. She was missed. Here's to hoping Paige and her new clique stay on the right path and not fall into the same hole Sasha and Bayley have fell into.

 

[ShinChan]

I felt the same thing. And the pop was actually great, taking me by surprise. I didn't expect Paige to get such a return and a great pop. The whole segment rocked. It was a great way to debut Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville as both won't have done anything else in NXT.

Plus, the faction didn't feel forced. It was organic. Women Wrestling has indeed come a long way.

 

[Rulk25]

Yeah the group makes sense if like Booker hinted it will be a TE bond that drew them together

I felt the same thing. And the pop was actually great, taking me by surprise. I didn't expect Paige to get such a return and a great pop. The whole segment rocked. It was a great way to debut Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville as both won't have done anything else in NXT.

Plus, the faction didn't feel forced. It was organic. Women Wrestling has indeed come a long way.

 

[Navi]

The crowd reaction to Paige returning was pretty good, I will agree. Maybe part of it is that we're a bit sick and tired of multi women matches, which got interrupted by her return. Maybe part of it is even though we bitch and complain a lot, we're happy that she didn't end her career and seems to have pulled herself together.

Let's face it over the last year or so, every story about Paige hasn't been stellar. I'm glad for her personally that she seems to have turned a corner, when it looks like she was headed for the cliff.

As for Mandy Rose, I remember her from Tough Enough, don't remember the other girl at all. Because of work I've stopped watching NXT, so can't remember if I ever saw her there or not. Anyway glad to see Paige back, now we just to to bolster the SD Live women's division. Or maybe the dirt sheets are right. Sasha Banks is hinting about a move, so we may get a shakeup after all.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It may have been a combination of things when you get right down to it.

As has been mentioned, the women's division in WWE is an actual division with talented female wrestlers now. They're not just there for eye candy anymore and have finally been a relevant part of the product for the past few years; as a result, there are women on the roster that fans are gonna be invested in and Paige has been one of them.

I think another reason was the simple joy in Paige returning to WWE considering that most of us have been expecting a "we wish her well in her future endeavors" statement for Paige for much of the past 12+ months. After all, how Paige was conducting herself in her personal life was embarrassing to WWE and her relationship with Alberto Del Rio, or El Patron if you prefer, was beyond toxic. Del Rio frequently made heated statements blasting WWE, some of them broadcast live out over the internet, sometimes broadcast during telecasts of other wrestling shows, with Paige in full view while it was going on and not doing or saying anything to calm him down. There have been rumors that Paige has been battling drug problems, as she did flunk a drug test, and her very public problems with Del Rio have been the centerpiece of her life. Also, let's not forget about the sex tapes of her with Xavier Woods, Brad Maddox, both at the same time, Maddox squirting his goo all over her while she was holding the NXT Women's Championship, etc. In a nutshell, Paige's life had become one never ending TMZ story in which it looked like she had flushed a very promising and fulfilling career in the biggest wrestling company in the world down the toilet because of stupid personal choices, the dangerous combination of sexually explicit material & the internet and a volatile relationship that was growing worse by the day. So when her music hit last night and she came out on stage, I think the reaction was also one of relief in that she hadn't destroyed her career, she had/is in the process of getting her life back on track and that maybe we weren't witnessing the next great wrestling tragedy.

 

[CyberPunk]

I was happy to see Paige back just because she is that talented. With everything reported about her in last one and a half years, I thought it was all over for her in WWE. Thankfully, that's not the case.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

She's attractive. She did porn (unwillingly). Men cheered, loudly. This isn't rocket science. Not trying to be nasty about it, but that hasn't been considered.

She's also talented. She is a fantastic female wrestler and character. I wouldn't expect her to get a negative reaction.

 

[sikkbones]

She's attractive. She did porn (unwillingly). Men cheered, loudly. This isn't rocket science. Not trying to be nasty about it, but that hasn't been considered.

She's also talented. She is a fantastic female wrestler and character. I wouldn't expect her to get a negative reaction.

She didn't look too unwilling in those videos? And she knew she was being taped.

Yes, they were meant to be kept private.

But in the age of social media and revenge porn do u really think she didn't think they might eventually leak?

Girl seems to me to have serious issues above and beyond Alberto.

I really hope the issues go away and she's not another tragedy.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

Nikki Bella's return pop was huge.

As someone mentioned, Paige did have to ask for a louder reaction at one point.

I think it was welcomed surprise more than anything else. Same as Hardys at Mania. At least for me, that was an awesome moment that night and then it went back to plain old Hardys back on the roster..womp womp. Paige would be even more of a drop since it wasn't as cool a moment, to me, and she's just another woman thrown into this repetitive cluster of a division. "I want the title" "No, I want the title" "No, I want the title"...on and on..."Ok, using no creativity, throw them all one big match."

It is lazy, boring writing. It's also ridiculous. You used to have to earn your way up the rankings (kayfabe, of course) but now it's just asking for a title match either gets you one OR you have to win ONE match in order to get it. It's a joke.

How about Alexa's age-old "Nobody in the back is better than me". In the good ol' days, this was followed by a surprise return or a new challenger. Last night it was...Mickie James? I can't consider it a "letdown" because there isn't a person on Earth who could have come out to make me care about this stale, overused approach...but Mickie James? People are upset that the men's matches are being taken over by legends of the past. How about the women's matches getting taken over by non-legends of the past?

The women have the ability to be entertaining, it just seems no one with any clout has any idea what to do with them. "Ok, you feud with you. You feud with you..with you kind of involved. And then at our next major PPV, we will throw you all in the ring together for no reason other than laziness."

 

[StraightEdge]

Does the length of the absence matter? I'd argue that Sasha got some pretty big pops for her return. Nikki Bella got a surprisingly big pop for her return from whatever was wrong with her neck.

Plus was Paige's pop that big? She had to ask for cheers at one point and it fell kind of flat.

But yeah, the point is made that WWE has had a long dearth of female talent that brought out emotions and not just erections.

I was at raw last night. it was no doubt a huge pop. Off the top of my head, I cant remember the last time a female wrestler got that huge of a pop returning.

 

[Messiah]

Paige trying to get those 2 random women over will be hilarious.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Seriously, name one pro wrestler in the last decade who missed an extended period of time due to injury and didn't get a warm welcome when their music hit. It's why the WWE uses old time wrestlers in the the Rumble almost each year. Obviously the nostalgia factor for an Attitude Era star is much bigger than someone like Paige, but you can't judge based on the return pop. Everyone gets a return pop. Give her a few weeks and see how she is booked.

Personally, I'm not a fan of her little posse. Picking up a couple of jobber level stars as backup works for someone like Miz, who is a chicken shit heel who thinks he is a big deal. Adding two girls who accomplished nothing of note in NXT doesn't jump out to me as automatic winner. I don't buy the Tough Enough relationship either. No one watched that abortion.

 

[waylonmercy]

When was the last time a newer (not the AE stars like Trish and Lita) female wrestler was cheered on her return.?

The pop that Paige received was not unlike one a returning male wrestler would get. This made me think of how far the women's division has come from it's time in the PG era. While it still has some booking problems, WWE has succeeded in creating female superstars who have risen to a level where the crowd cares enough to give em' this huge a pop..

In my opinion the reason for Paige's huge pop was all the media attention she got with her on again/off again fiance El Patron. The buzz was present and lots of fans are aware that she also had violations.

Paige being a controversial performer in a less degree than CM Punk adds to it. She has great charisma outside of WWE and if handled right could create interest which I feel aided in her pop.

I could see Brie Bella maybe getting a decent nostalgia pop if she made a surprise in ring return considering she had a child... with Daniel Bryan and she is a Bella.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I don't think there's anything sinister in Paige getting a pop, nor particularly special...

At the end of the day, she's the one Women's wrestler who is NOT cookie cutter... however highly you rate Asuka, Bayley, Charlotte, Alexa or Sasha, they are pure products of the system in WWE. Paige is at least somewhat close to being herself, and as someone pointed out now people have seen her "up close and personal", as well as the tales of her scoliosis AND seemingly overcoming the toxic relationship with Del Rio, people will root for her. On a side note, how glad was Xavier that he's on Smackdown lol...

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

When was the last time a newer (not the AE stars like Trish and Lita) female wrestler was cheered on her return.?

The pop that Paige received was not unlike one a returning male wrestler would get. This made me think of how far the women's division has come from it's time in the PG era. While it still has some booking problems, WWE has succeeded in creating female superstars who have risen to a level where the crowd cares enough to give em' this huge a pop..

Well I do remember Sasha getting a huge pop when she returned, but she was only gone for just a couple of weeks/months.

Regardless I was very proud Paige got the pop she did. She was a great wrestler and probably the best on the roster during her first run. Now she's probably behind the Horsewomen, but she's still a great addition. The women's division needed a spark, and this could be just that.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Seriously, name one pro wrestler in the last decade who missed an extended period of time due to injury and didn't get a warm welcome when their music hit. It's why the WWE uses old time wrestlers in the the Rumble almost each year. Obviously the nostalgia factor for an Attitude Era star is much bigger than someone like Paige, but you can't judge based on the return pop. Everyone gets a return pop. Give her a few weeks and see how she is booked.

Although I agree with your point, I couldn't help but share these two videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVR-ajThXcM - The actual return

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHYkAsIuI6A - The edited version, which makes me laugh every single time

 

[TakeTheSting]

To be honest I popped just for the fact that match was interrupted because of the competitors in Bolger and the fear of having to watch another Bliss/Baylee or Bliss/banks feud. In an instant when Paige walked out and the other two women appeared it made the women’s division fresh again

 

[Wolf Pac]

I didn't think her return was anything special tbh. I've never been into Paige, always found her boring, still do, so her return for me was "ugh, she's back?" but as for her pop, by today's standards it's probably considered a "huge pop" but if you compare it to pops of the past like in the Attitude Era, Triple H at MSG etc. it was lacklustre. She did have to ask for a louder reaction.

I do think this new alliance with her, Mandy and Sonya (Please name their group, PMS) has potential though. I liked the viciousness they bought with their attack on Alexa backstage.

 

[RANKKA]

and shes done.
http://www.pwmania.com/paiges-in-ring-career-reportedly-done

 

[Wildcat66]

and shes done.
http://www.pwmania.com/paiges-in-ring-career-reportedly-done

Jesus...

That fucking sucks: You come back after one year out of the business and then THIS happens...

My heart goes out to her right now, I can only imagine what she's feeling.