With AEW heading to England for what could be the biggest show in the promotion's near-half-decade history, speculation has been at an all-time high as to which stars should make the trip across the pond for All In II and who they should wrestle when they step in the ring. Will Kenny Omega take on Will Ospreay in another battle for the IWGP United States Championship, or will he instead team up with the Young Bucks for an Elite versus FTR and CM Punk showdown? And what about Goldberg? Will he wrestle his first match in the promotion at Wembley, or will it instead serve as his retirement match after a “Summer of Goldberg” in AEW? And what about Saraya, arguably the biggest UK star in AEW history? Who will she wrestle on her “home turf?”
While we may not have an answer to all of those questions just yet, Saraya did give some insight into her All In prospects, with a few potential opponents suggested in an interview with Raj Prashad of Uproxx.
“I haven’t performed in the UK in years. And then to be on one of the biggest stages you can get over there, Wembley Stadium, it’s just a very wild opportunity,” Saraya told Uproxx Sports. “It does have that WrestleMania I vibe where this is something really special. I feel so fortunate that I get to be a part of history.
“I would love to face Jamie Hayter. That would be amazing, because she’s also from the UK — I’ve had the opportunity to be in a tag and triple threat, but not a singles match, and I would love that opportunity,” Saraya said. “Do we open that Forbidden Door? Mercedes Moné, I would love to face her there. That would be such a full circle moment. There’s so much opportunity there.”
Whoa, Mercedes Moné, you say? Would Saraya actually want to get back in the ring with the woman who nearly ended her career, especially in front of her family and friends and… oh yeah, hundreds of thousands of fans tuning in from all over the world? Per the former Divas Champion herself, the answer is clearly yes, and for good reason, too; if Tony Khan wants to sell a ton of tickets and build up maximum intrigue for arguably the most important card of his promoting career thus far, booking Saraya-Moné for a match near the top of the card could be a fantastic way to get butts in seats.
Saraya has nothing but love for her AEW coworkers.
Discussing her run in AEW thus far elsewhere in her interview with Uproxx, Saraya complemented the other members of the women's division for doing everything in their power to get as good as possible and really earn their place on weekly television.
“They’re in the room before the shows, they’re training with Dustin Rhodes, and they’re just working their a**es off. It is a difficult journey, especially when you get thrown onto TV like that, where I was really fortunate enough to go to a development center and hone my craft a little bit more,” Saraya says. “But these wrestlers get thrown in the deep end and they have to learn how to swim very quickly. They do such an incredible job, but it is harder for them than it would be for me or Toni or Ruby or Taya (Valkyrie) to come in. I do commend them because they do work really hard, and they deserve their time.”
Saraya then turned her attention to the management side of AEW and complimented everyone from Tony Khan to the EVPs for creating a wonderful atmosphere for the talent backstage.
“(Tony Khan has) done such a great job already,” she says. “The company’s still in its baby stages and he’s done such a wonderful job already, along with obviously Kenny (Omega) and the Young Bucks and all the girls and guys that are involved behind the scenes. But I just want to continue being a part of history with this company. I feel very fortunate to be here, I love my time in AEW, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds here.”
While Saraya's run in AEW has become increasingly polarizing over the past few weeks, with “The Outcasts” drawing widely disparate reviews, depending on who you ask, it's clear that after half a decade away from the ring, the former WWE Superstar is just happy to be back in the ring once more, even if you don't necessarily like her back.
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