Britt Baker

Former WWE Superstar Paige gave a positive update on her injured neck this week and reiterated plans to wrestle again one day.

Appearing Wednesday on the Bellas Podcast with WWE Hall of Famers Nikki and Brie Bella (h/t WrestlingInc's Dakota Cohen), Paige expressed optimism regarding her health:

"My neck is fantastic. I'm having no issues with it, and it's looking good. I still want more time, though. I mean, I've had nearly five years completely out of the ring, which is, it goes by so quickly. I'm like, 'How?' But yeah, I can see myself in the ring one day, but it would have to be something really special and like for like a big moment, even like, for WrestleMania."

A neck ailment caused Paige to miss about a year-and-a-half of action between 2016 and 2017 before returning in December 2017, but her return was short-lived, as she reinjured her neck in a house show match.

The injury forced Paige to retire from in-ring competition in 2018, although she remained with WWE and served in multiple roles, including general manager of SmackDown and manager of The Kabuki Warriors.

Paige's decade-long run with WWE came to an end last month when her contract expired and the decision was made by the company to not retain her.

Given the fact that Edge was able to return from what was thought to be a career-ending neck injury, Paige has made it clear that she wants to get back in the ring at some point as well.

According to Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News, Paige discussed her future at Starrcast and named WWE's Sasha Banks and AEW's Britt Baker as women she would like to wrestle at some point if and when she gets cleared:

"I would love it. I would love to face her [Baker]. There are a few people I'd love to be in the ring with. If I were to ever come back, I'd love to face Sasha because we have a built-in storyline, and she's a fantastic wrestler. I'd love to face Britt Baker; she's incredible. I still have to be careful. I have that mind block right now, but eventually, for the right time and right person, I'll definitely have a match again."

Paige's career-ending injury occurred during a tag team match at a live event, and she happened to be in the ring with Banks at the time.

While Paige has insisted that she doesn't blame Sasha for the injury, that is something that could easily be woven into a storyline.

One thing that is uncertain is where a match with Banks would occur. In May, WWE suspended both Banks and Naomi indefinitely for walking out prior to an episode of Raw.

Neither Banks nor WWE has given an update on her status, and it is unclear if she is still with the company. However, recent reports suggest she and Naomi may have agreed to return in the wake of Vince McMahon stepping down as CEO, chairman and head of creative, and getting replaced by Stephanie McMahon and Triple H.

As for Baker, she has essentially been AEW's top female star since the company's inception, and she has gone on record as calling Paige a dream opponent.

Additionally, Paige commented on her desire to eventually get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, telling the Bella Twins (h/t WrestlingInc's Ross Berman): "I set goals for myself when I got to WWE. I've done pretty much everything I wanted to do, but like, I wanted to be in the Hall of Fame so bad."

Paige called the WWE Hall of Fame an "end goal" and said it would be "huge" to get inducted since not many women have had that honor.

Given that Triple H had a huge hand in signing Paige and making her the first NXT women's champion, one can only assume he would have interest in bringing her back at some point, especially if she is cleared to wrestle.

AEW would undoubtedly have interest in the two-time Divas champion as well under those circumstances, meaning there could potentially be a bidding war for her services in the future.

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Britt Baker won the first-ever Owen Hart Foundation women's tournament at AEW Double or Nothing on Sunday by beating Ruby Soho in the finals.

Soho attempted a victory roll, which Baker countered into a pinfall of her own. She kept Soho's shoulders down on the mat long enough to pick up the victory.

After reaching a merchandising agreement with the estate of late wrestling legend Owen Hart last year, AEW announced that it would be holding both women's and men's tournaments bearing his name.

Qualifiers began at the end of March, and the Owen Hart Cup tourney subsequently ran through April and much of May before culminating at Double or Nothing.

The men's tournament saw Adam Cole and Samoa Joe go the distance, while Soho and Baker, who is Cole's real-life girlfriend, ran the gauntlet in the women's field.

Both Baker and Soho had to win three matches in order to reach the finals, and they seemed to increase in difficulty with each passing round.

Baker defeated Danielle Kamela in the qualifying round before defeating a surprise opponent in Maki Itoh in the quarterfinals and then Toni Storm in the semis thanks to the help of Jamie Hayter.

Soho beat a pair of Japanese stars in the qualifying round and quarters, getting past Yuka Sakazaki and former AEW women's world champion Riho, respectively.

To complete her run to the finals, Soho survived a hard-fought battle with Kris Statlander on Friday's episode of Rampage, locking in her match against Baker at Double or Nothing.

Baker and Soho had some unfinished business, as Soho challenged then-AEW women's champion Baker for the title on the Grand Slam edition of Dynamite in September.

D.M.D. won the match thanks in large part to some interference, and Soho has been trying to work her way back up through the ranks ever since.

Soho was out for revenge Sunday, but Baker beat her once again, further cementing her status as the face of the AEW women's division.

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Britt Baker beat Thunder Rosa at Revolution on Sunday to retain the AEW Women's World Championship.

The Doctor hit her rival with a curb stomp after she was distracted by the champion's associates, Rebel and Jamie Hayter.

Sunday's match was well over a year in the making, as Rosa and Baker began feuding in late 2020 and faced off in multiple matches in both singles and tag team settings.

Baker struck the first blow on the Feb. 3, 2021, edition of Dynamite entitled Beach Break. They faced off for the first time in a singles capacity on that show, and Baker prevailed thanks to interference from Rebel and the act of driving Rosa's face into an exposed turnbuckle.

Rosa received her chance for revenge on the March 11, 2021, episode of Dynamite, however, when she and Baker became the first women to compete in the main event of Dynamite.

Their clash was an unsanctioned lights-out match, meaning there were no rules. Both competitors took advantage of that and punished their rival.

While Baker came out of it in a better position because of the iconic image of her bloodied face, it was actually Rosa who was victorious.

The fact that it was a lights-out match meant it didn't count against the record of either wrestler. Because of that, Baker remained in the No. 1 contender position for the AEW women's title.

Baker didn't let her title shot go by the wayside, as she defeated Hikaru Shida at Double or Nothing 2021 to end the then-champ's 372-day title reign.

Rosa largely continued her winning ways after Baker won the title, but she was cooled off and moved down the card with many of her victories occurring on AEW Dark.

It wasn't until recently that All Elite Wrestling truly built her back up with a pair of wins over Baker's then-enforcer, Mercedes Martinez, on Dynamite and Rampage.

With momentum on her side, it seemed as though Revolution would finally be Rosa's moment, but Baker found a way to remain atop the AEW women's division.

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