Getting to know Saraya Bevis. The WWE world knows the name Paige – and may think they know her story. However, Fighting With My Family shows people how Bevis became “Paige,” how she landed in the WWE and where she comes from. Us Weekly caught up with the Divas champion, 26, who was a “blubbering mess” the first time she saw the film.
“It’s so emotional every time,” the former wrestler said in an exclusive interview. “I was crying so hard that it was hard for me to even look at the screen, because I teared up.“
While the movie is based on her life and was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s idea, of course some of her journey was exaggerated. “It’s like 95% true to story,” she told Us, pointing out the “little bits” that were a bit different in real life.
In the film, Bevis and her brother go backstage while auditioning for WWE and meet The Rock. However, that didn’t happen in real life. “It’s hilarious. I wish that happened,” the designer told Us. Nevertheless, the Rampage actor was a huge influence on her real life – and really was the one who revealed she would be making her WWE debut.
Bevis’ training was also a tad dissimilar than what was shown. First, Hutch (played by Vince Vaughn) was not one person but a mixture of multiple trainers she had. “[Director] Stephan [Merchant] was saying how he wanted Dusty Rhodes to play himself, but Dusty, unfortunately, died before the movie went into production,” she explained. “It was Dusty Rhodes, Norman Smiley, Dr. Tom Prichard and Bill DeMott, all in one person.”
She also noted that the women she trained with in NXT were actually even less nice in real life – but ultimately, she got the last laugh. “I’m the only one left out of the five girls that were there seven years ago. Every single one of them got released or fired,” the Saraya Jade Cosmetics creator shared. “One made it to the main roster, but then they fired her off of that, too. So, I was the only one to make it. The poor goth weirdo made it!”
Fans of the movie – and of Bevis – may have also realized a very tongue-in-cheek joke about a sex tape. In 2017, scandalous footage leaked of Bevis, which she quickly owned up to. Oddly enough, the joke in the movie was written before that happened, she told Us.
“I think it was a good decision to put it in there, because you know what, I have to laugh that kind of stuff off these days,” the former SmackDown general manager said. “I just think it was like a little good Easter egg in there — whether it was intentional or not. It is what it is. It’s better to laugh at stuff you can’t change than be depressed about it!”
Fighting With My Family is in theaters now.
