10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About 2017

7. The "Leaks"

Triple H Jinder Mahal
WWE.com

That is an unfortunate - yet unavoidable - turn of phrase.

In the Spring, several neckbeards were sprung when news broke of a sex tape "scandal" involving Paige, Brad Maddox and Xavier Woods. At a depressing rate and with a depressing inevitability, several more women associated with wrestling were hacked in wrestling's belated version of the "Fappening" - an event that, thankfully, indicts in retrospect the absolute state of the hackers more so than the "moral compass" of the hacked. By the sane, at least.

No illegal acts were committed to tape, as best we can tell. Consenting adults engaged in acts that were never intended for public consumption. In a better world, that was the extent of the story. In this world, several wrestling fans to this day slut-shame Paige in the sick circle of hell that is the comments section of virtually every YouTube video ever.

Cop a load of these rancid individuals:

"Funny how so many people consider normal and acceptable being a c*m-dumpster, doing threesomes, interracials (yes I'm going there)."

"Always thought Alberto Del Rio could do way better than flat ass nasty slut ass pale ass Paige!"

"Good thing El Patrón got rid of that 2 cent, j*zz drinking, lame pale whore..."

We're only two and a half years removed from the toxic misogyny heard on the post-WrestleMania 31 RAW.

Should Paige have the temerity to show up and perform on April 9, the risk of the drunken diehards taking advantage of their shared, interactive safe space is worrying for a company that has opened itself up to PR scrutiny in recent years.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!