Before the WWE Universe came to know Paige, there was a teenage girl named Saraya and her wrestling family, The Knights, from Norwich, England.
Fighting With My Family examines the lives of The Knights (Pat, Julia, Saraya, Zak, and Roy), a family of professional wrestlers with the youngest (Saraya and Zak) angling to join the WWE and live out their life long dreams. A story of sacrifice, perseverance, and believing in one’s self, you don’t have to be a wrestling fan to appreciate the film’s strong and inspirational message.
Ahead of the release, and a marathon media schedule, Paige chats just after she tweets about her mother bringing extension cords from England instead of hair extensions.
BSO: Why is your mother bringing extension cords to the United States?
Paige: [Laughs] I have no idea! It’s not even the same outlet. I literally texted her and said, hey Ma, can you bring extensions with you? She’s like yeah I’ve brought extensions, So I said you have to go to hair and make-up straight away. She was like, oh, we ain’t know we thought you meant like extension cords. I’m like, what the hell? Why did you bring extension cords? It makes no sense!
BSO: The film premiered at Sundance and the trailers are running. Who’s been the biggest Diva in the family now that everything is rolling out?
Paige: I think my Dad, but not in a bad way. But He’s been a bit of a diva because he’s not someone that likes to do a lot of media. So, he’s just like, ‘No! I want to sit in My chair,’ ‘I don’t want to talk.’ That’s pretty typical and as you’ll see in the movie, you’ll see exactly what he’s like.
It was her dad, Patrick Bevis (aka wrestler “Rowdy” Ricky Knight) along with her mother Julia Hamer-Bevis, (aka wrestler Sweet Saraya) that introduced Paige to her early beginnings as an in-ring performer when they formed the World Association of Wrestling in 1994. The troupe, which also featured brothers [insert brothers name], and a handful of other performers, caught the gaze of [local England station] who produced a documentary entitled The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family. While being on display during that time may have been awkward for young Saraya, Paige appears to be overwhelmed and grateful for the buzz surrounding the feature film.
BSO: Has sharing your family with the world been easier this time around?
Paige: With the documentary itself we weren’t really expecting much from that, you know. Then it won awards and Dwayne saw it and now we have this big phenomenon. A huge biopic movie that’s going out worldwide just blows my mind. It just makes me extremely happy for my family because they get the recognition they’ve been working so hard and they deserve it. It feels good. It’s going to be strange for non-wrestling fans to see my story. I just hope they walk away inspired by it.
BSO: Has Norwich become a sort of Wrestling Mecca given your success and now the release of the movie?
Paige: Norwich is a very small town, it sticks to WAW my dad’s company but England in general is really coming on. There’s a [WWE] Performance Center there, NXT, and more independent companies are poppin up. It’s coming on leaps and bounds.
Making her first appearance on the main roster on Monday Night RAW after WrestleMania in 2014, Paige quickly immersed as a premier performer and audience pleaser. Credited as a major force in WWE’s women’s evolution by fans and wrestlers alike, Paige reflects on her ascent through NXT what she’s contributed, how it pleases her to see so much diversity in the women’s division and what’s next.
Paige: As in the movie, being one of the first people to stand out and be different. Coming in, being different and making history by being the youngest Divas champ in history. You see this young, little, pale Goth girl and it starts making headlines. They’re used to seeing the flavor of ice cream and along comes a different flavor, it tends to ripple throughout the company.
BSO: What do you think is the biggest difference in the women’s division from then [2014] and now?
Paige: There’s such a dynamic roster. You still have those beautiful, athletic women, and now you have, plus-sized models like Nia Jax who’s gorgeous. It’s not really much difference except people are taking us more seriously now.
BSO: Lastly, How did you react when you finally got to see the film in its entirety?
Paige: The first time I cried my eyes out. The whole time, the whole 2 hours. Then the next time I saw it, I needed to watch it again because it’s hard to take in when you’re crying so hard. The second time I watched it, I thought it was hilarious, I mean, sad at some pieces, it seems like it takes me back to those moments of how I was feeling. It just made me happy overall. It was such a beautiful movie and one so well by Steven.
BSO: What’s next for Paige?
Paige: When it comes to WWE we’ll see where that goes. I’m always going to be there whether it’s in front of the camera or behind the scenes, but I would love to start making the transition into movies.
Fighting With My Family opens in theaters nationwide on February 22nd. To watch a preview of Fighting With My Family, flip the page.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of BSO’s sit down interview with Paige.
