Paige has revealed she was not originally booked to face Kelani Jordan on the November 4, 2026 episode of WWE NXT, telling Busted Open Radio that she was brought into the match on short notice.
Paige’s appearance marked her first NXT match since 2014, a return that carried significant weight given her history with the brand. She was the first-ever NXT Women’s Champion, a title she won when the women’s division on NXT was first established, making her return as a mystery opponent for a current rising star like Kelani Jordan a notable full-circle moment for the promotion.
According to Paige’s comments on Busted Open Radio, she was not the wrestler originally planned to step into the role of Jordan’s mystery challenger. She said she was called in at the last minute to fill the spot, though she did not detail who the original opponent was supposed to be or why that plan changed.
Ringside News, citing the same Busted Open Radio appearance, reported that Paige described herself as unusually nervous ahead of the match, calling it an emotional experience tied to her return to the NXT brand where she first made her name over a decade earlier. That nervousness, paired with the late change in plans, adds context to what was otherwise presented to the viewing audience as a straightforward mystery-opponent reveal.
Jordan has been positioned as one of NXT’s featured young stars, and a televised match against a decorated veteran like Paige, regardless of how it came together behind the scenes, represents a meaningful showcase opportunity on NXT programming. Paige’s comments do not clarify whether her NXT return was a one-off appearance or part of a longer-term plan involving the brand, and neither source indicates any further bookings for her following the match.
No additional details have been confirmed regarding the identity of the originally planned opponent or the circumstances that led to the switch. Both Fightful and Ringside News attribute the revelation directly to Paige’s own remarks on Busted Open Radio, with no further elaboration offered in the reporting beyond what she said on the show.
