Former WWE Divas Champion Paige has revealed that her surprise return to WWE NXT on November 4 was not originally planned, explaining that WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque personally approached her about the appearance shortly before the show.

Paige made an unexpected return to the brand as the mystery challenger for NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan, competing in her first NXT match since 2014. Although she was unsuccessful in capturing the championship, the appearance marked a significant return for the inaugural NXT Women’s Champion.

During an appearance on Busted Open Radio, Paige explained that she was brought into the match as a last-minute replacement after Triple H approached her during WWE’s recent double television taping in Brooklyn.

“I got called last minute. It wasn’t actually supposed to be me. Triple H pulled me aside in Brooklyn at the double taping and said, ‘Do you mind going down to NXT?’ I was like, ‘Oh shit. Yeah, definitely.’”

The former champion admitted that the unexpected nature of the opportunity left her with limited time to prepare for the championship encounter. While she ultimately came up short against Jordan, Paige suggested that additional preparation could have made a difference in the outcome.

“It didn’t give me much time to prepare. Maybe if I prepared a little bit more, I would’ve won. It is what it is. I know what to do next time if I get a little bit of time,” she said.

The championship match saw Paige attempt to put Jordan away with her signature Rampaige finishing maneuver. However, the defending champion managed to counter the move into a pinfall, securing the victory and retaining the NXT Women’s Championship.

Paige has a significant history with WWE’s developmental brand, having become the inaugural NXT Women’s Champion in June 2013. Her return more than a decade after her last NXT match brought her back to the brand where she first established herself as one of WWE’s rising stars.

While Paige did not reveal who was originally scheduled to challenge Jordan, her comments confirmed that WWE made a late change to the match.

Her remarks about knowing what to do with more preparation also leave open the possibility of another appearance, although WWE has not announced any additional matches involving Paige.