Ex-WWE Star Saraya Opens Up About Promo & Match Struggles In AEW, Says She 'Got Lazy'

Saraya's AEW debut was initially met with a lot of positivity, with many fans excited to see her back in the ring after what was thought to be a career-ending injury. However, a segment of the audience eventually soured on her, criticizing not only her promo work but her matches. In hindsight, Saraya agrees with her critics to a degree, and in an interview on the "Daria & Toni Unwrapped" podcast, she admitted to not doing her best work there.

"I wish I tried a little bit harder," she said, stating that she was still afraid of getting injured again. "I wasn't really giving it my all and I kind of got more lazy and I kind of regret it."

Even with how her AEW run soured, Saraya claims she wants to wrestle again and admits to feeling the "wrestling bug." "You can never fully walk away from this f**king sucker, dude," she noted, using Ric Flair as an example of someone who keeps coming back. "You get addicted to that stuff."

At this stage, Saraya claims that she is making legitimate plans to learn the new style of pro wrestling. "I love walking out, I love hearing my music, I love entertaining the fans. I don't like the traveling. ... That's the worst part!" she exclaimed.

Saraya's first promo back in pro wrestling was panned by some online, and the wrestler admitted that she had a rough time at the start. "[When I] came back, I didn't know how to [cut promos] anymore. I was too nervous," she said. "You could come up with your own creative, but I didn't know what I was doing there because I wasn't cleared at that point either." Saraya then explained that her role was as unclear because AEW simply wanted to work with her, cleared or not cleared, and she was onboard.

She then described her first AEW promo as the worst promo of her career. "I literally stopped halfway through the promo and went: 'I'm so sorry you guys, I'm really nervous!' I just didn't know what to say!" Saraya continued. "Then I literally said 'revolution' like five times in a row, I tripped over my words and I'm like, 'What the f**k am I talking about?'"

Saraya was asked if she's ever watched the promo back, and she responded that she hasn't, pointing out how it instantly ruined her rapport with the fans. Due to the backlash, Saraya decided to delete social media from her phone and even called her manager to pull her from AEW. "I was like, 'I think I made a mistake. I think I shouldn't be here. I need to leave. I cannot do this.'" Saraya then added that her manager convinced her to stay, and that her second promo with Britt Baker went much better because of the help she had from Jon Moxley.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Daria & Toni Unwrapped" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.