Hell in Boots: Clawing My Way Through Nine Lives

by Saraya-Jade Bevis

**NATIONAL BESTSELLER**

An eye-opening memoir of family drama, stardom, despair, and resilience from the wildly popular wrestling superstar.

Saraya-Jade Bevis, formerly WWE’s Paige, is one of the biggest names in the wrestling world. She is the youngest two-time WWE Divas Champion and was inaugural NXT’s Women Champion. She ranked first in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Female 50 and was named Diva of the Year by Rolling Stone in 2014. She was also the subject of the critically and commercially successful 2019 film Fighting with My Family, produced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and starring Florence Pugh. But before ascending to wrestling superstardom, she was just Saraya.

Hell in Boots is Saraya’s real, uncensored, story. From her early days in her famous (and chaotic) wrestling family, to leaving home at fifteen, to forging her own path in professional wrestling, Saraya has been through hell and back. As she fought to make it in the incredibly competitive—and at times sexist—wrestling world, she faced incredible highs and devastating lows. Saraya recounts years of struggling with substance abuse, clawing back her pride after an ex’s sex tape leaked, adjusting to stardom in the WWE, healing from a nearly career-ending injury, a making triumphant return to wrestling as AEW Women’s World Champion. Through it all, Saraya tells her whole truth in a way she never has before.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Sports, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

271 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2025

About the author

Saraya-Jade Bevis is a British professional wrestler, known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring name Paige. Saraya was the youngest and two-time WWE Divas Champion and inaugural NXT Women’s Champion. Her career was brought to the silver screen in 2019, when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson produced Fighting with My Family. She made her wrestling debut in 2005 at the age of thirteen and announced her retirement in 2018 following a neck injury and made an unlikely comeback in 2022. Follow her on Instagram @Saraya.

Reviews

[Tony Farinella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saraya’s life has been a rollercoaster ride, filled with ups and downs, twists and turns. So, I was hoping her book would be the next big wrestling memoir. Last year, we got Becky Lynch’s memoir, which was one of my favorite reads of 2024. But Saraya’s book is just okay, not great. One of the biggest issues is that for someone who is so outspoken, she holds back when it comes to talking about certain trainers or wrestlers. For example, she mentions a female wrestler who was mean to her, but she never names her. She also talks about two trainers who were universally hated, but she never reveals their names. Who were these trainers?

While she’s open about her struggles, she doesn’t go into much detail about them. She doesn’t explain what caused them or what she learned from them. In fact, I don’t think she learned anything, and she seems to be her own worst enemy. Her relationship with Ronnie is a mess, and they’re no longer together. It’s not fair to judge someone’s life, but when they write a memoir, it’s challenging to be indifferent or have no opinions. When you read a memoir about someone you’ve watched, you either like them more, less, or feel indifferent. With Saraya’s memoir, I’m rooting for her to succeed and get her life on track, but I felt indifferent about her by the end of it.

Overall, the book feels like a bunch of random blog posts thrown together into a book. The writing is not great, the editing is terrible, and it feels all over the place. There were some parts I liked, but I wish she had really committed to this book and opened up about her life, career, and struggles. Instead, it feels rushed, lacking detail, and rather underwhelming. This should have been a great book, but I didn’t feel like she had the commitment to write a really great one.

[Sara]

I don't rate biographies and memoirs.

It's Wrestlemania weekend so I've fallen down a rabbit hole of wrestling content. It was fascinating to read this so soon after Becky Lynch: The Man—Not Your Average Average Girl to see the similarities and differences that led these two women into the same career, at the same time. Saraya has had a chaotic life, and it's reflected in her writing. It's not as well controlled or linear in it's storytelling as Becky's, but that's very much Saraya. She runs her mouth (although she is very reserved in certain aspects of her story, and holds back on a lot of experiences and on certain people) and she lives and breathes wrestling. She was always destined to be in a ring, in front of a crowd, and I found that just like on screen watching her in WWE I warmed to her immediately.

But I didn't love this the way I loved Becky's story, and I think it is because Saraya didn't seem to put as much of herself in her book. She went through such a hard time, from her childhood, with loneliness and feelings of inadequacy on joining WWE yet she changed the whole women's division. She is one of the reasons women are taken more seriously in the business, but I never really experienced the later years of Saraya's life through her eyes. I guess that there's a lot of hurt still there, a hell of a lot of trauma, and I get that it's probably really difficult to write about but I wanted to hear her side of the story.

Still a great read if you're interested in wrestling entertainment, and Saraya's early life in particular is fascinating.

[Ivette L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read for Paige/Saraya fans

I absolutely loved this memoir! If you’re a wrestling fan then you are more than likely familiar with Saraya’s story thanks to the movie ‘Fighting With My Family’. This memoir covered a lot more personal stories and feelings. Thank you for being vulnerable and putting your experiences out there. 🖤

[Hannah F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this memoir. From the first moment I saw Saraya debut on RAW back in 2014 I knew she was special. She had the emo alternative type of look that I always had and it’s rare to see someone own it like she did. She’s truly inspiring, gorgeous inside and out. So glad she got all the opportunities she did ❤️

[Erica Naone · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely intense read at times - Saraya has been through a lot. Fantastic wrestling memoir - gives a sense of what it took to get to WWE and AEW, gave details of key big moments in her career, and also really opened up about who the author is as a person and how she overcame struggles, many of which relate to being in the public eye at such a young age. I love memoirs like this and am so glad Saraya shared so much of herself through this one. This book felt brave, honest and real.

[Andy LooWho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw, real, heartbreaking and occasionally hilarious. The best wrestling autobiography I've read.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one hell of a story. Saraya has gone through so much in such a short amount of time really. Shes just a few years older than me.

The interesting part about reading this book (well I listened, because I love when the authors read their memoirs), was how she didn’t go into detail that much about her matches but more so about the behind the scenes and then her injuries and how her life was impacted in recovery. It’s assumed most readers knew about those matches and had watched them. But I imagine half the readers are Ronnie fans and may not have been fans of her initially or solely.

I also found it interesting how her and Ronnie had broken up before the book was published but she didn’t remove the parts with him in it, she loved him once you know, and I hope they are still actually friends. But whether they are or not, doesn’t really matter. She has a solid support group. But she removed him from acknowledgments which was kind of funny aha.

It was a fun read and Saraya has such a beautiful voice!

[Georgia♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Saraya’s story is insanely inspirational and I believe that all the work that she has done in fighting for better equality for female wrestlers is commendable.

It was super inspiring and fascinating to hear how she came from such a messy and difficult upbringing to becoming the youngest WWE Diva champion and how she later navigated the difficulties of her career potentially ending due to her drug addiction and neck injury.

My only wish was that she opened up more. The memoir felt very factual and not very personal or emotional. It was extremely honest, however it felt very blunt when she was discussing her life experiences and it felt like she continues to be very disconnected from those experiences still to this day and maybe hasn’t processed her feelings about a lot of things.

[kileigh✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You wear your scars, but you are not your scars."

Not much to say other than this is a must read, especially if you're a fan of Saraya.

Her life has been a rollercoaster. She's been through so much and she's still so young. This was so vulnerable and raw. I appreciate her so much! Wish I could give her the biggest hug!

[Evelyn Gaskill · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed it so much it really pulled me in and had me laughing and crying all at the same time

[hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although some parts were extremely intense and others less explored, Saraya’s life is a universally incredible story. I took a break from Bret Hart’s endless stories of hyper-detailed indie wrestling tours to read this and it was certainly a PAIGEturner 🤪🤪🤪🤪🫶

[Haley Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of my favorite biographies & audio books. This brought back so many childhood and adolescent memories. I really felt connected to Paige and loved hearing her point of view. I recommend to any WWE fan 🖤

[thefogweaver]

I really don’t know how to rate autobiographies. I earnestly did enjoy this one a lot, and because of the enjoyment this book has given me, I’m gonna give it a five-star rating.

I wanted more chapters about Saraya’s and Ronnie’s relationship, and to be honest, he is the reason why I picked up this book in the first place - he is my top-tier musician at the moment and was such a sweetheart towards Saraya.

[Dana K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Gallery Books for the gifted copy. All opinions below are my own.

I've been a wrestling fan since I was a kid. I fell away from it after my teens and got back into it when they started making the WWE Total Divas show. I fell in love with the Bellas and the strong women trying to fight for equal screen time. Paige (Saraya) was another character I really enjoyed, she exuded toughness and IDGAF energy. I was of course surprised to learn she had quite the lineage in the profession.

This book starts with the sex tape scandal that derailed her WWE career, so you know right away she is pulling no punches. The entire book is like a raw exposed nerve. She is open about her untraditional upbringing with parents who were perhaps more focused on their careers than their children. She talks about sexual abuse, drug use, alcoholism and that's all before the pressure of celebrity. She talks about her rise in WWE and some of the challenges of being a woman in the sport but more about how grateful she was. It didn't have any of the bitterness of Rousey's memoir which really irked me. She covers how the Rock produced the movie about her family, her neck injury and really any other detail you might want behind the scenes without taking away the magic of it.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. That was one hell of a rollercoaster.

As always, I’m implored to compare this wrestling book to other wrestling books that I have read. This one, however, is a bit different from the rest. Many wrestling stories give you the “Well I had to work hard” “I went through some trouble” but honestly, you are not prepared for the level of which that applies to Saraya. If someone had to give up an arm and a leg for their pro-wrestling career, then, I guess in comparison Saraya gave up her entire soul.

The first half features a familiar British working-class coming-of-age story that is easily recognisable to my fellow compatriots. Tales of pub nights, bar fights and police lights that are so different to anything I’ve heard in another wrestling autobiography.

The second half retells Saraya’s journey through WWE, injury and eventually AEW. My only complaint here is that I wish there were a bit more detail and behind-the-scenes stories of her time at WWE and AEW! Sure, you get a good play-by-play of her main roster debut and return with Absolution, but that’s about it really. However, you will learn things that you could never had, if you had only watched the wrestling on TV. She’s been through it all, and to that, the title of the book fits.

[Lucy Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my masters degree, I wrote an essay comparing the life stories of two female wrestlers - AJ Lee’s autobiography & Saraya’s biopic. I basically concluded that AJ’s was an authentic retelling of her own story, while Saraya’s was a Hollywood version of hers, but they were both important feminist texts within a male dominated field. I questioned whether Saraya would ever have the chance to tell her story authentically, in her own words. Im so glad she has been able to here.

This is a very raw and honest book, a bit of a difficult read at parts. Her and AJ’s stories are similar - battling generational trauma, childhood abuse, familial mental illness, conflicted parental relationships, etc. & spoiler alert, they both battled back despite their struggles to have successful wrestling careers, reaching far beyond their childhood dreams, and now have taken a step back from wrestling.

This book was written while Saraya was still with AEW & with her boyfriend which she isn’t now, so it’s literally just come out & in need of an update - a testament to her wild life. Shes only 31 and achieved so much. I know lots of people don’t like her, but I think she deserves some appreciation considering everything she has been through and what she has done for women’s wrestling.

[myreadingescapism · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it comes to memoirs, I feel unsure how to rate it. Saraya read the audiobook, so it felt like listening to her story.

I was not familiar with her wrestling career or her in general, I really only followed her due to her previous relationship, but I gained a soft spot for her and had put this on hold, despite them having broken up before this came out.

I appreciate the courage to put yourself out there and be vulnerable, so I can't give this anything but 5 ⭐️

[JPS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saraya’s upbringing was a bit chaotic. Her parents were not that good at parenting. Very oblivious, naive, and neglectful. Which is surprising given their experiences in life. You would think they would be more prepared and protective of their own children. Bringing ex-cons who were gangsters around their kids, letting random strangers live with them, having a guy named Todd stay with them, having him tell their kids bedtime stories when in reality he was abusing two of them, then having that same guy share the bed with them, not to mention the raids, violence, and the parties with strippers around, is just mind-boggling as a parent myself. Who does that as parents. Not to mention her mom leaving for months and her dad going full-on alcoholic mode. I don’t care about the reasons, you don’t do that as parents. On top of that, because Saraya obviously loves her parents, justifies it and chalks it up to being “normal.” Yikes. Nothing normal about it. It’s so unfortunate and I feel for her and her brother. No child should ever experience that kind of chaos. It definitely played into her future decisions and pain she felt. I get it now.

As for the wrestling aspect of the book, I wanted more in-depth behind the scenes stories-it’s mostly why I wanted to read it. But everything seemed rushed. Paige is a seemingly talented performer. She was a phenom as soon as she started in WWE who rose through the ranks very quickly, but there was a price to pay; she very much paid that price and then some.

At the end of the day I am happy that Paige healed up. Not only physically but mentally and emotionally. I’m glad she is sober and got her big comeback at Wimberly Stadium. As a human being, I want the best for her. As a fan, I’m happy she went out her own way.

[Shelby Bauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

While Saraya does open up about her past troubles, I found her holding back at certain points. Also, Saraya, I admire you always having your family’s back, but hold them accountable. They are responsible for a lot of your trauma.

Saraya-Jade Bevis (WWE’s Paige) takes us on a journey of her life, from childhood, through wrestling training, to success, to addiction, recovery & rediscovery.

Saraya has been through ALOT. But unfortunately for her, a lot of that trauma should be solely placed on her parents. They had their children surrounded by strangers, alcohol, and drugs constantly. Taught them violence was the way to approach confrontation. And a lot of those lessons lead Saraya to make poor choices in her adult life. I’m not saying it was all her parents fault (no one shoves coke up their nose except for the drug user). But as the reader/listener I wanted her to hold them accountable and realize while yes, we all make mistakes, her family holds a lot of responsibility here. Also, a lot of her stories about certain wrestlers and relationships were glazed over or not mentioned. I personally was looking for her to address her tumultuous relationship with former WWE superstar Alberto del Rio. We’ve heard a lot of negative things about their relationship including abuse. There was no mention of him whatsoever (SHE HAD HIS NAME TATTOOED ON HER!). For there to be no mention of him at all is bizarre. I expected more from Saraya.

[Garrett Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a life long pro wrestling fan, there was no other women’s wrestler quite like Saraya. From her debut in WWE as Paige, I knew she was going to be a huge star. All of a sudden too many things were happening around her and to her that changed her whole trajectory, but we only saw what the internet wanted us to see. I’m so happy Saraya finally got to share her story and to see the struggles she had truly been through. You never really know what’s going on behind the scenes unless someone pulls the curtain back and that is exactly what she does. Thank you Saraya for everything and I can’t wait to see wherever you go next on your journey.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saraya, this book is fantastic!!! I started watching wrestling when my son Nick was about 7 and my son Luke was 2. That was 30 years ago for me. I remember when Paige arrived on WWE. And she quickly became one of my favorite divas!!!

I preordered the hardback and it’s apparently delayed in the mail. Thanks Barns and Noble. However I wasn’t waiting, I also got the audiobook and listened at work. Which may not have been the best place to listen to this. I can’t count how many times I teared up. And how many times I laughed, especially when the mice got out and infested the neighborhood lol

I absolutely love that the chapter titles are almost all song titles. I loved reliving in my mind shows I personally watched. Or moments that happened in Fighting with my family, a great movie. I’ve been lucky enough to see Saraya at a few AEW events as well. This book shares her personal experiences and her life. It shows how real she is. And I love that.

Lastly I’d like to say to Saraya, you are such a strong and amazing person. And never doubt yourself. You are such a beautiful woman inside and out. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a crazy, wild, and emotional ride. Saraya has been through so much at such a young age until now. She's a great example of overcoming adversity, strength, courage, and resilience. Even though it wasn't easy to overcome some obstacles, she eventually did. With the love of her family, friends, and boyfriend. Even if you aren't a wrestling fan (like I am), her story is worth reading! Thank you Saraya for sharing your story ❤️

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Total Divas fan, there was way not enough chapters dedicated to the show. Ah well. Otherwise her childhood was really chaotic and just makes sense in a stereotypical way. I wasn’t familiar with her movie before this audiobook, just a casual fan mostly through the tv series vs WWE.

[Hannah Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5– I love Saraya. Her journey is very touching. I watched her WWE main roster debut and AEW debut during my reading and it brought me to tears to watch those moments (again) after reading her words.

However, the book felt a little scattered. I yearned for follow-up on certain aspects. (What happened to Sookie the dog??) But overall it was really enjoyable. She is a very interesting woman!

[Brandi Gamble · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can not tell you how good this book was I will forever scream thank you Paige I love you

[Husky Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always liked Saraya but damn the respect I have for her!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version. Her story was very inspiring and informative about addiction. She is one of my favorite wrestlers and her story was relatable.

[Heather Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars ⭐️. I just love Saraya and her story.

[Ari Garzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saraya has seen it all, and she lives on to tell the tale. I loved this insight into her life, from her very real, very raw perspective. Nothing like reading the story of a woman I watched on the big screen all through my childhood. Thanks Saraya!

[George Lankester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very real and raw - her story is incredible.