On July 24, 2013, Paige became the first-ever NXT Women's Champion when she defeated Emma in the tournament final.
However, according to the woman herself, the victory almost never happened as she was cleared less than 24 hours before she was scheduled to win the belt.
"The day that I won the NXT Women's Championship for the first time, I was cleared that day to wrestle. I nearly missed it because I had a dermoid cyst on my ovary that I had to have surgery to remove. Hunter literally cleared me that day and was like, 'If you can do this, this, and this, the doctor says it's okay and yes you can wrestle, but we can't let you wrestle.' I nearly missed the opportunity, could you imagine if I wasn't cleared? I was so thankful that the doctor said I was good to go," Paige recalled to Renee Paquette on Oral Sessions.
Paige said that Emma likely would have been the first-ever NXT Women's Champion had she not been cleared.
Paige would hold the title for a recognized 273 days before vacating the belt after being called to the main roster.
Elsewhere during the interview, Paige revealed she's headed to the doctor to get a progress update on her neck. You can find her full comments by clicking here.
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