AEW's Saraya Had One Of The Most Tasteless Promos In WWE History

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Many fans would argue that WWE's biggest loss to AEW was when they let Saraya, aka WWE's Paige, get away. The game changing wrestler was pivotal to the women's revolution in WWE, with many believing that she was the one that really started it. In WWE, Paige was the anti-diva, and she was simply gold on the mic as well as the ring. However, as much as she shined in WWE, there were some moments when she was involved in deep controversy.

Back in 2015, while Saraya was still in WWE as Paige, she got involved in a heated feud with NXT's latest call up at the time, Charlotte Flair. Charlotte was being booked as the next big thing and at the time she was also holding the Divas Championship. Paige had turned into a vicious heel who was not only after Flair's title but also her sanity. At an episode of RAW that year, a contract signing for the championship match took place, and that's where all hell broke loose.

Paige Insulted Charlotte's Deceased Brother, Reid Flair

It is common knowledge that Charlotte Flair comes from a very traumatic past when it comes to her family. She is WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair's daughter, but Ric actually had four children. However, Charlotte was only fully related to one, her real brother Reid Flair. The other two siblings are from her father's first wife and hence are her half-siblings. Unfortunately, Reid Flair fell into a bad spell of drug addiction which eventually took his life in 2013 as he was found dead at 25 due to overdose. Obviously this shattered Charlotte and her family, and for some odd reason Paige decided to make fun of it during her contract signing with Charlotte.

Charlotte and Paige were exchanging verbal blows back and forth until Flair introduced an emotional angle into the segment. She said that Paige was there for her when Reid passed away and Reid is the reason Charlotte is in WWE. However, Paige had a cold-blooded reply ready for her future opponent. She said, “Your little baby brother didn’t have much fight in him, did he?” This expectedly made Flair furious, and she wasted no time attacking Paige. The segment got major backlash from fans after the show as it was extremely low brow and several fans ridiculed Paige for making fun of a serious issue for a cheap pop.

The Promo With Paige Was Charlotte Flair's Idea

It might come as a shock to fans, but the offensive line Paige used in the promo was actually pitched by Charlotte herself. In an interview with The Agenda Podcast in 2017, former WWE Managing Lead Writer Tom Cassiello revealed that Charlotte was the one who suggested that Paige mention Reid's name during her promo.

He further disclosed that Flair was not bullied into doing it and Paige received a lot of heat from fans as Ric Flair apparently did not know that his deceased son was going to be mentioned in this manner.

Ric Flair Thinks Charlotte Was Pressured To Do The Promo

Charlotte's father Ric Flair revealed on his “WOOOOO! Nation” podcast in 2015 that Charlotte might have suggested the idea because she was new in the locker room and was under a lot of pressure. He said, “Here’s the problem. I obviously have an opinion, but I’m afraid to voice it because I don’t want anything to affect Ashley’s career. I will just say that I know that Hunter and Stephanie and Michael Hayes have her back. I don’t think she feels like she’s comfortable enough to say no to anything yet. She’s only been up there three months. It’s a pressure cooker and a tough spot to be in. Even though she’s the champion, it doesn’t mean she goes, ‘Hey, this is what I wanna do and what I’m not gonna do.’ I think if you’re asked to do something, that’s pretty much the way things operate up there."

Flair further revealed that he was not given a heads-up about the promo by WWE. “I never heard a word about it. I started crying while I was watching. Nobody called me." Overall, the segment was in poor taste. Even if it was suggested by Charlotte or written by a writer, the line should have never made it to the air as it hurt all involved.