WWE Reportedly Not Punishing Anyone Over Explicit Leaked Content
Looks like all parties are in the clear.
Given that the hack and leak scandal that has recently hit several WWE stars has inarguably been the hottest topic of the wrestling world, the question of fallout was always going to be a pretty pressing one.
The explicit personal photos and videos, which featured WWE superstars Paige and a man widely believed to be Xavier Woods, as well as former talent Brad Maddox and most recently Celeste Bonin (formerly known as Kaitlyn), inevitably caused a stir as they picked up viral steam over the weekend, and the fallout for the families involved has already been telling. With "Fighting With My Family" currently filming and Paige on the shelf recovering from neck surgery, the unfortunate story is one with many layers.
Were this the Attitude Era, WWE might well have made an angle out of the leaks, but we're in a different time now and this is a PG-rated company at the mercy of shareholders and sponsors. As such, it had been widely speculated that Paige could well be released after a series of alleged backstage controversies.
The problem with that theory is that she was the victim in this scenario as the material was stolen and posted online without her consent. For WWE to fire her after the incident, even despite the fact that one of the videos used the former NXT championship title belt as a "prop", would be bad PR on their part.
There's already a precedent for a lack of punishment too, since Seth Rollins was the victim of a somewhat similar leak previously. And now the Wrestling Observer is reporting that there will be no repercussions for any of the parties involved, with Meltzer's sources claiming that the company's plan is just to ride it out.
As long as no sponsors make a fuss, WWE probably won't take action. Let's just hope that Paige in particular recovers from the incident - as well as her family - and that if she does and returns to the ring, she isn't faced with any blow-back from ignorant "fans".
As far as Xavier, the fact that New Day was allowed to make event the most subtle of allusions to the incident on Raw tells us that WWE is handling things far better than expected.