Report: WWE WrestleMania 42 To See Return Of Long-Absent Star To Replace Nikki Bella

A WWE WrestleMania 42 match is reportedly undergoing a slight change.

Last month, WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella sustained an ankle injury during a tag bout against Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss on "WWE SmackDown." Because of it, her status heading into WrestleMania 42 then became unclear. According to PWInsider, that uncertainty has finally vanished as Nikki has been ruled unable to compete at WrestleMania in Las Vegas, just one day before she and sister Brie were set to vie for the Women's Tag Team Championships on the grand stage.

Due to Nikki's void of medical clearance, the outlet adds that WWE has lined up a WrestleMania replacement for her, with their sources under the impression that it will be former WWE Divas Champion Paige. Paige, known as Saraya in AEW, was reportedly spotted taking part in a rehearsal for the upcoming Women's Tag Team Championship match, which also involves Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, Lyra Valkyria and Bayley, and Nia Jax and Lash Legend.

Along with her return to the WrestleMania stage, PWInsider indicates Paige has inked an official contract with WWE. The exact length of that deal is unknown, but according to BodySlam+, it spans multiple years, which suggests that Paige's return to WWE will extend beyond WrestleMania 42.

As Saraya, Paige left All Elite Wrestling in March 2025, opting to shift her focus to non-wrestling projects such as her memoir and her "Rulebreakers" podcast. Come January 2026, though, Paige scratched her wrestling itch once again by resuming her in-ring training.

The former "Anti-Diva" initially signed with WWE in 2011. In 2017, she suffered what was believed to be a career-ending neck injury. Still, she remained with WWE until the summer of 2022.

Obviously, the circumstances surrounding Paige's reported WWE return are bittersweet as it came at the expense of Nikki Bella's spot (we wish her speedy recovery!). What bigger way to mark a comeback than at WrestleMania, "The Grandest Stage of Them All," though?

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thrilled to hear that Paige, the two-time Divas Champion and one-time NXT Women's Champion, was returning to the place that platformed her wrestling breakout way back when. It's almost fitting too.

This year's WrestleMania was originally meant to take place in New Orleans, the very city in which Paige made her main roster debut in 2014. The very city that hosted Paige's first Divas Championship win. And the very city in which former "The Anti-Diva" announced her in-ring retirement in 2018. All of these events occurred during WrestleMania week as well, which means a Paige return in New Orleans for WrestleMania 42 would have been poetic.

What is actually poetic is the fact that Paige would make her WWE comeback on the same night that her "fairy godmother" AJ Lee is marking her own return to WrestleMania. Prior to this, Lee last competed on the big stage in 2015, when she and Paige emerged victorious over Nikki and Brie Bella in a tag team match. This go-around, Lee is defending the WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship against Becky Lynch, Paige's old PCB stablemate. Meanwhile, Paige would be teaming alongside Brie Bella in pursuit of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships (a callback to their iconic "How did I lose my shoe?" scene on "Total Divas").

As a young fan watching WWE during the Divas Era, seeing the likes of Lee, The Bella Twins, and Paige all on the same event would not only supply me with a feel-good moment, but also a sense of nostalgia. And in this "new era" of WWE, nostalgia is rare, especially within the women's division.