Add as a preferred source on Google Paige delivered one of the most memorable returns of WWE WrestleMania 42, but the surprise was partially spoiled before she even stepped into Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
During a live taping of The Nikki & Brie Show at Fanatics Fest 2026, Paige said Triple H reached out to her directly to invite her to replace Nikki Bella, who hadn’t been medically cleared after suffering an ankle injury. The deal came together at the last minute, even though Paige had already been in talks with WWE about her return.
Paige already had professional commitments in Las Vegas during WrestleMania week. Because of that, she figured her being in the city wouldn’t raise much suspicion.
“I thought, ‘Okay, well, I’m going to be in Vegas anyway because I’m going to be doing my podcast and signings and all that kind of stuff, so I guess it’s not going to look too weird if I’m around.’ But everyone was kind of guessing. Everyone was just like, ‘Oh, Nikki’s hurt. The only person who could potentially replace her would be Paige, right?’
Then people started guessing. On the day of Mania, I was supposed to do a signing, and at the last second, they canceled the signing and took me to Mania. I thought, ‘Well, that gives everything away, because I had to cancel the signing.’
We were also so frustrated because it leaked the day before. I thought, ‘Can we not have surprises anymore?’ It was the most frustrating thing ever.”
Even without the full element of surprise, Paige received one of the biggest reactions of night one at WrestleMania 42. In her first match for WWE since December 2017, she teamed with Brie Bella to win the Women’s Tag Team Championship.
The reign ended exactly three months later, on July 18, when Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid of Fatal Influence won the titles following interference from Jacy Jayne at Saturday Night’s Main Event.