Saraya was only informed that she’d be winning the AEW Women’s World Championship at the last minute, according to the wrestler herself. Saraya’s victory came at AEW All In: London 2023 where she won the gold in a four-way that included Britt Baker, Toni Storm, and then-Champion Hikaru Shida. Not only did Saraya win the gold in her hometown, but she had quite the entrance with her family to Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You.’
Sitting down with the Broad Ideas podcast, Saraya said that before they arrived in England, the four women had no clue who was going to win, and made up finishes that’d see each woman win. It was only when Tony Khan arrived fresh from a Fulham FC match that the four finally learned the plan. [h/t POST Wrestling]
“[Tony Khan] flew in, you know, at last-second as we’re about to leave because the show was the next day and he was like, ‘Oh, you’re going over, you’re gonna win’ and I cried… With championships, you’re like, yes, it’s predetermined, right? But they trust in you to be the face of that company but I never thought I would be in this position again.”
Saraya’s victory in London marked her first championship win in close to a decade, with her previous victory seeing her regain the WWE Divas Championship at SummerSlam 2014. Given that she lost nearly five years of her career due to a neck injury, it’s not hard to see why Saraya feared her days of winning gold in wrestling had ended. Though that injury came at the hands of Mercedes Mone, Saraya isn’t afraid to get back in the ring with the CEO.
Saraya’s reign as AEW Women’s World Champion would last 44 days before she lost the gold to Hikaru Shida on Dynamite: Title Tuesday in October 2023. While Saraya holds the unfortunate honor of having the least amount of days of any AEW Women’s World Champion, capturing a title again meant a lot to Saraya who has vowed to appear at AEW All In: London 2024 this August.
Related: Saraya Cut Down On Social Media Use To Avoid Being Fined
