Saraya Discusses Pressure Ahead Of In-Ring Return At AEW Full Gear

Saraya knows all eyes will be on her matchup with Britt Baker this Saturday. She just wants to get past the first bump.

"It's going to be a big deal," Saraya said on the latest episode of the "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" podcast. "I'm going to be under a microscope that day and everything I'm going to be doing is going to be scrutinized."

Saraya will have her first match in five years this Saturday at AEW's Full Gear pay-per-view event, taking on rival Dr. Britt Baker DMD after announcing she recently learned she's medically cleared to compete. The longtime WWE star became one of the most important women in the history of pro wrestling during her run as "Paige" with her former company, but neck injuries forced her to retire from in-ring competition in early 2018. Following in the footsteps of wrestlers like Edge and Brian Danielson, who've made improbable returns from medically induced retirements in recent years, Saraya made her own shocking return when she debuted in AEW in September.

"I'm dying to get back in the ring again," Saraya said. "I know there's going to be a lot of eyes on the match, so there's a lot of pressure to make sure I put on a good enough match so everyone's like, 'Okay, welcome back. We like that she's back.' " 

Saraya said she knows there's going to be people watching who are excited she's back, upset that she's back, and those who are simply nervous she's back and could get injured again. Given all that, she plans to avoid social media after Full Gear on Saturday, adding that "the pressure of having a match after five years is just wild to me."

"It's a beautiful story," Saraya said, "but it makes me nervous."