AEW star Saraya has never been one to shy away from speaking her mind, and ahead of the release of her memoir, Hell in Boots: Clawing My Way Through Nine Lives, she’s shedding light on the dark side of wrestling fandom. In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, the former WWE Divas Champion spoke candidly about years of online abuse, disturbing fan encounters, and how she protects herself in the digital age.
Telling Her Side of the Story
Saraya hopes her new book will give fans a better understanding of her journey—not just the parts they think they know. “I want people to be inspired by me,” she explained. “Everyone has their version of my life, you know? And I know I’m quite a controversial figure… I wanted to really tell my side of the story with everything, but also help people.”
Her career has certainly been a rollercoaster, from being a teenage wrestling prodigy in England to becoming WWE’s youngest-ever Divas Champion, dealing with career-threatening injuries, and eventually making a dramatic return to the ring in AEW. Through it all, she’s been subjected to intense public scrutiny—something she says has only been amplified by social media.
The Dark Side of Online Fame
Social media has made wrestlers more accessible to fans than ever, but for Saraya, that accessibility has come with serious downsides. She described her direct messages as “the dark web” and admitted she avoids checking them altogether. “I know there will be unsolicited dck pics… Men do not give a s**,” she said bluntly. “Social media is like a mask to them, so they can do and say whatever they want and get away with it.”
The abuse isn’t just limited to crude messages. Saraya revealed she’s been on the receiving end of terrifying threats, including threats of sexual violence and murder. “I’ve had so many fans come to my house,” she shared. “I had a guy that had no shoes on and a ripped shirt that was trying to get in my house. I’ve had people send stuff to me. People have camped outside my house before.”
Because of these experiences, she’s taken extreme precautions to protect her privacy, even keeping her home under a different name to prevent unwanted visitors.
When Fandom Crosses the Line
Despite the negative experiences, Saraya made it clear she appreciates the majority of her fans who support her respectfully. However, she also acknowledged the dangerous extremes of parasocial relationships—where certain fans feel an unhealthy level of familiarity with public figures.
“You do get the odd weirdo that thinks that they know you so well that they can come into your house or be outside your hotel room or like hunt me down in a hotel room,” she said. “It is crazy how far some of these fans will go.”
As Saraya continues to reclaim her narrative through her memoir, she’s also shining a light on the darker realities of fame in professional wrestling. Hell in Boots hits shelves tomorrow, and if her interview is any indication, it promises to be an unfiltered, no-holds-barred look at the highs and lows of her journey.
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