The first hour of the Smackdown after WrestleMania 35 wasn’t all that eventful, as far as big post-Mania surprises go, but it did feature the return of former Smackdown General Manager Paige. She was at WrestleMania, on the Kickoff Panel, but she’s largely been absent from WWE TV since she was let go from her GM position by Shane McMahon back in December. Prior to that she did a great job managing the show, a role given to her after she was forced to retire from the ring due to neck injuries after WrestleMania 34.
Paige first appeared during a Women’s Tag Team match between new champs The IIconics and some local talent, when she seen backstage watching the match on a TV screen. After the match ended, Kayla Braxton showed up to ask why she was at the show, and she announced that she’ll be returning next week with a new tag team for the IIconics to face.
She definitely has potential as a tag team manager, and it will be interesting to see who her team turns out to be. She was previously aligned with Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose, who debuted on the main roster as her faction “Absolution” in 2017, but they’ve become established enough without her at this point that it seems unlikely that’s who she’s referring to. In any case, we’ll find out next Tuesday.
