Aja Perera is officially joining WWE. But not as a wrestler.
In a new video uploaded on the WWE Performance Center channel, Aja Perera, announced as Aja Smith, is introduced as the first female African American referee in WWE history.
"Referees are the unsung heroes. They put in so much work and they are seemingly invisible. But without them, there would be no wrestling," she says in the video.
Smith goes on to tell an emotional story about spending time in the hospital with her mom at the end of 2018 and into 2019, fearing that she was going to lose her mom. She was scheduled to compete at SHINE 54 against Candy Cartwright for the SHINE Nova Title. Her mother implored her to go to her match. Aja went, won the title, and told her mother that the moment would not be wasted. The video then shows Aja calling her mom, giving her the good news that WWE had signed her.
"Having this platform, as a female, a female of color, is really an honor and I'm so thankful to be given this moment," she said.
Casey Michael at Squared Circle Sirens first reported the news of Aja's signing on Tuesday.
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