WWE superstar Paige on Fighting with My Family, Hollywood and Hall of Fame aspirations

WWE superstar Paige is used to bright lights, big crowds and the pressure of performing for the number one sports entertainment company on the planet.

But being the subject of a Hollywood blockbuster was almost too much to take.

The 26-year-old - real name Saraya-Jade Bevis - was born into a wrestling family, with her mother, father and brothers all masters of the mat.

WWE superstar Paige on Fighting with My Family, Hollywood and Hall of Fame aspirations

A WWE career was always the dream for Paige - a dream realised in 2014 when she won the Divas Championship on her first night as a main roster superstar.

The journey to that championship, including the pressures of following in her mother's footsteps, a relationship breakdown with her brother and the crazy world of pro-wrestling, forms the body of Fighting with My Family, a biopic about Paige's life.

Produced by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and directed by The Office's Steven Merchant, Fighting With my Family was inspired by a short, British-made 2012 documentary of the same name, which focused on Paige and her Norwich-based, wrestling-mad family.

Speaking to Newshub, Paige recalled the moment she received the call that WWE wanted to see her and her brother in action. A moment depicted in the film.

"That particular scene is about 90 percent accurate," Paige said.

"The actual call came from one of my dad's friends who was a talent scout in England, and he said that me and Jack (her brother) have a tryout.

"We just lost it. It was a dream that we both wanted, and we had the mentality that we would either do this together or not at all.

"Unfortunately only one of us got picked once the tryout came along - and you can see in the movie that things got a little bit testy in mine and my brother's relationship."

Paige appearing on WWE programming.
Paige appearing on WWE programming. Photo credit: Supplied
WWE Superstar Paige.
WWE Superstar Paige. Photo credit: Supplied

Paige wasn't on set during production. A serious neck injury, which has since cost her an in-ring career, prevented her from travelling to England, where a majority of scenes were filmed.

So a pre-release personal screening in late 2017, hosted by Merchant, was an emotional experience for 1.72m-tall wrestler.

"He played it for me and I remember crying pretty much the whole time. It was so surreal seeing people portray my family in a movie written and directed by Stephen Merchant and produced by 'The Rock'.

"I cried my eyes out, and I remember I couldn't leave the room afterwards because I was crying so much - I looked awful.

"I watched again a few months ago at home and I guess it took a bit of the emotion out and it was wonderful and I really enjoyed it."

Paige had no creative control over who would play the roles of the Bevis family in the film. Those decisions were made by Johnson and Merchant.

"My dad really wanted Ray Winston to play him," Paige told Newshub.

"He was adamant. When he got told it was Nick Frost we had to explain who he was.

"Me and my brother are huge fans of Nick. We love Hot Fuzz, we love Shaun of the Dead - he is such a great actor.

"Dad was a little disappointed, but once he saw how well Nick portrayed my dad, he was just so happy with the result. He was over the moon."

With er her in-ring days cut short, Paige is preparing for life after wrestling. What that entails? Paige is unsure. Wrestling will always be her life and she still holds out one goal.

"It's a pretty cool life that I have had. I am so thankful for everything I have done but I just really want to end up in the WWE Hall of Fame one day. That's something that, as a wrestler, you aim for as a big reward."

Fighting with My Family, starring Florence Pugh, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Vince Vaughan and Dwayne Johnson, will be in cinemas from March 21.

Newshub.

Check out Paige in action on the WWE Network.