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Former NXT Diva. Total Divas personality. Two-time WWE Divas Champion. Only one WWE personality fits such a description, and that's the pale, raven-haired Paige. Proclaiming herself "the Diva of Tomorrow" during her NXT days, Paige has made great strides since she was hired by WWE in 2011, smashing records and becoming arguably the most dominant Diva in the division and one of the best in WWE history. Her finishers, such as the cradle DDT the Ram-Paige, inverted sharpshooter with double chickenwing the PTO, and her swinging leg hook fireman's carry slam the Paige-Turner have knocked out countless Divas.
Born Saraya-Jade Bevis on August 17th, 1992, Paige hails from Norwich, England. While she's as stunning as any other Diva on the roster, she's always been more interested in getting vicious in the ring rather than focusing on her looks. Charming and funny, when Paige gets on the mic, she's no-nonsense and spares no one's feelings.
Whether it was her feud with Emma over in NXT (which Paige herself said is among her favorite matches that she's done) or her on-off frenemy relationship with AJ Lee that made you take notice, Paige stands out in every way possible. She doesn't tan, she has a prominent British accent, and she even wrestles in combat boots. She's also had incredible success at a ridiculously young age, as she'll turn 23 this August.
You may have the Paige t-shirt, action figure, and trading cards. You also may have seen all of her matches from NXT to WWE and watched her on Season 3 of Total Divas. However, if you believe you know everything there is about this unique Diva, think again. Here are some facts about Paige that you probably weren't aware of.
10. She Has Wrestling in Her Blood
It's always heartening to learn that a WWE Superstar or Diva has been a lifelong fan of the sport. Seeing them realize their dreams and make it in the industry is always humbling. Paige is more than just a fan though. Professional wrestling is how her family makes their living.
Paige's mother, Julia Hamer-Bevis, and father, Ricky Knight, are both wrestlers. Hamer-Bevis goes by the name of Sweet Saraya, which is where Paige got her birth name. While you may think that Paige grew up believing that she wanted to be a wrestler, it took her a while to warm up to the sport. Naturally, when she was a young girl, the world of professional wrestling was a confusing and daunting one. After all, watching your parents get beat up is never fun, even if it's not real. Eventually though she followed in her family's footsteps.
9. She's Also Dabbled in Acting
WWE Studios has given the world such films as the Scorpion King (2002) starring Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, the Marine (2006) starring John Cena, and the Condemned (2007) starring Steve Austin. Now Paige will be joining the illustrious list of film stars in late 2015 when she stars alongside the Miz in the holiday film Santa's Little Helper.
In the flick, Paige plays an elf that competes against the Miz's character Dax to figure out who is more worthy of being Santa's assistant. Paige's only acting experience thus far has been on Total Divas, so it will certainly be interesting to see her on the big screen.
8. Her First Match Was in the Womb
While the era of hiring models to become WWE Divas is over, none of the talented women on the roster have the same kinds of credentials as Paige. After all, her first match occurred before she was even born.
Sweet Saraya was still wrestling regularly before having her daughter (and still continues her career to this day). At the time, she hadn't known that she was pregnant, so at eight months along, she stepped into the squared circle and had a match. That's the kind of irreplaceable wrestling experience that no one else on the roster can claim, man or woman. Paige quite enjoys telling this story.
7. Her Family Taught Her to Wrestle
Of course, once Paige was born and got over her fears, she eventually decided that she wanted to become a professional wrestler. The timing couldn't have been more perfect since her father, Ricky Knight, had started his own wrestling school. He accepted registered green wrestlers on a monthly basis.
Despite the fact that Paige was only around 10 years old at the time, her older brother Zak (who wrestles today for the Bevis family wrestling promotion World Association of Wrestling as Zak Zodiac) and her step-brother Roy Bevis (who goes by the Zebra Kid) both taught Paige everything that they knew about the sport. She trained for two to three years.
6. Officially Though, She Began Wrestling at 13
Paige probably would have trained for even longer than that had fate not intervened. Besides running his own promotion and wrestling matches, Ricky Knight also sometimes booked wrestling gigs. When one of his women's wrestlers was MIA, he requested that Paige step in and fight instead.
In 2006, about a year after her debut match, Paige began wrestling more regularly. She started off in World Association of Wrestling or WAW. At the time, she went by the moniker of Britani Knight, and her tag team partner was none other than Sweet Saraya herself.
However, the duo would be short-lived, as Paige went on to pair up with a wrestler named Melodi. The twosome, which called themselves the Norfolk Dolls, eventually took home the gold in 2007 when they became the World Association of Women's Wrestling or WAWW Tag Team Champions.
5. She Didn't Make It to WWE Right Away
After standing out in WAW, Paige began wrestling all over the world despite that she was only 14 at the time. She spent time in promotions like World Wide Wrestling League or W3L, Herts and Essex or HEW, and Pro Wrestling EVE; she became the Women's Champion for all of those organizations. She was also a star in German Stampede Wrestling and Shimmer Women Athletes, where she once again joined a team with Sweet Saraya, then wrestling as Saraya Knight.
By then, it was late 2010, and Paige thought that she was ready for the big leagues. A WWE scout stopped by her native England, but Paige didn't make enough of an impression to be hired. Instead, that would happen during her second tryout in mid-2011.
4. She Became the First NXT Women's Champion
Once Paige was hired by the WWE and was sent to FCW, she experienced immense success at a dizzying rate, a trend which would continue for her on the main roster. Wrestling as Saraya when she debuted in 2012, the name didn't stick. Once she appeared on FCW TV, she was christened Paige.
During her early FCW days, she coined the Anti-Diva Army with wrestler Sofia Cortez. The moniker, as mentioned, stuck for Paige longer than the alliance did. Paige almost got her hands on the FCW Divas Championship by May 2012, but she didn't come close enough.
FCW eventually morphed into NXT, a televised program that showcases developmental talent. By the start of 2013, Paige was feuding with then-NXT Diva Summer Rae. However, her biggest accomplishment came months later in May, when NXT announced a bracket to declare its first NXT Women's Champion.
Defeating the likes of NXT Diva Emma and WWE Divas Alicia Fox and Tamina Snuka, Paige won the tournament and became the very first NXT Women's Champion.
3. She Became the First Diva to Win the WWE Diva's Championship During Her Debut
With so much success under her belt in such a short amount of time, it's no wonder at all that WWE wanted to bring Paige up to the main roster as soon as possible. That happened in April 2014 on the Raw following WrestleMania XXX, only a little over a year after her NXT debut. Fans are always expecting new talent after a WrestleMania, and Paige didn't disappoint.
AJ Lee had been the reigning champion for a record-breaking 295 days. Paige couldn't help but admire the WWE Divas Champion, but AJ pushed, insisting that she and Paige should have a match. Despite proclaiming that she wasn't ready, Paige quickly put AJ away, winning the WWE Divas Championship. She's the only Diva to have claimed the title on the same night of her debut.
2. She's the First Woman to Hold Both NXT and WWE Women's Gold at the Same Time
Of course, at the time of her amazing WWE Divas Championship victory, Paige still had some unattended business to take care of over at NXT; namely, she was still the NXT Women's Champion. She had never let go of the title since winning it nearly a year before.
However, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, the general manager of NXT at the time, insisted that Paige give the championship up since she would now be wrestling for the WWE. Paige relinquished her NXT Women's Championship after 308 days undefeated. Not only has that record yet to be touched, but Paige is also the first and only Diva in WWE history so far to hold on to both the NXT Women's Championship and the WWE Divas Championship at the same time.
1. She's the Youngest Diva's Champion in History
By now, Paige had smashed plenty of records during her relatively short career as a professional wrestler. She has lengthy title wins and first-time victories to her name that no other Diva has been able to claim. When she won the WWE Diva's Championship in April 2014, she also added one more accolade to her ever-growing list: Paige is the youngest Diva's Champion in WWE history.
During that fateful April night, Paige was only 22 years old. While many young people her age are just finishing college and planning their lives and careers, Paige has already achieved her goal of arriving in the WWE and becoming the Diva's Champion. Surely she has many career milestones ahead of her.
Sources: WhatCulture, Heavy, WWE
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