Saraya had fans convinced she was about to make a surprise return at Royal Rumble 2026—but in the end, it was all smoke, and now we know why she did it in the first place.
While speaking during the Royal Rumble post-show on February 1, Sean Ross Sapp revealed that Saraya was never even considered for the Rumble appearance in Riyadh. Despite training footage surfacing just two days before the event, it turns out the hype was exactly what Saraya intended: a giant troll.
“No, Saraya. Um, this was not considered. She was not there,” Sapp confirmed. “I actually dropped her a message and I was like, ‘You post the training footage two days before the Royal Rumble and it gets sent to me ten times in ten minutes.’ She’s like, ‘That’s what I live for. Just trolling.’ Go figure. Go figure, right?”
The reveal explains a lot. On January 29, Saraya uploaded intense in-ring training footage—grappling, striking, and running ropes—just days after clearing her schedule by canceling her appearance at Celebrity Comic Con, which had been originally booked for the same weekend. All signs pointed to something real. But it wasn’t.
While fans were hoping for a WWE return after four years and over a year removed from her last match, Saraya pulled a masterclass in internet bait. And she did it with purpose. And judging by how many people got worked, she pulled it off perfectly.
Do you think Saraya was just having fun, or should wrestlers avoid playing with fan expectations like that? Drop your thoughts in the comments—let us know how you feel about being trolled.
