AEW’s Saraya was cleared on Halloween, can start with one match a month

Saraya has been medically cleared to return to the ring. 

During an appearance on The Sessions with Renee Paquette, the 30-year-old noted that she didn’t receive clearance until October 31, and doctors have said she can start with one match a 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.”

She continued to say that at the time she figured she would be able to work a match similar to Owens vs. Austin at WrestleMania. 

“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 continued to say that she brought up the idea of wrestling again to Tony Khan, who suggested she could work some tag matches. However, Saraya said if she was going to come back, she would want to have a singles match. 

“I remember talking to the doctors and they were like, ‘okay, 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 then said she didn’t want to go to a doctor that was associated with 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.”

Saraya said she got x-rays, CT scans, and everything else done on the same day and later met with the doctor to go over the results. 

“Then he sat there and went through them all and he was just like, ‘you’re cleared’ and I just burst into tears.”

The doctor told her that the fusions in her neck looked perfect, and said there were no fractures or other issues. 

“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.”

Saraya says the doctor said they could start with one match a month and then gradually start building up.

“Long story short, Halloween is when I got the full clearance. I called my parents, I was crying my eyes out.” 

Saraya’s last match was a WWE house show on December 27, 2017. The match had to be stopped early when Saraya was injured after being kicked in the back by Sasha Banks. Saraya continued to talk about texting Banks after being medically cleared to return.

“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 f**k someone up to end someone’s career.”

“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.”