So, if you haven’t heard by now, several prominent celebrities have had their iCloud accounts hacked and hundreds of private photos have been leaked online for the world to see, ridiculously named “The Fappening II”. Among these celebrities are the likes of Emma Watson, Jillian Murray, Saraya-Jade Bevis (aka Paige of the WWE), and many others; but leave it to the IWC (internet wrestling community) to make a big deal out of Paige being involved with the scandal because the leaked content that features her also happens to involve fellow WWE personalities Brad Maddox (the former General Manager of Monday Night RAW who was released from the company years ago) and Xavier Woods (current member of the stable The New Day). What many IWC fans are clinging to is the video that features Paige in an apparent threesome with Maddox and Woods. For some reason, this clip that was leaked has been causing a bit of a stir within the IWC, with differing opinions as to what should happen with the concerned parties.
The main opinions that I have seen across the IWC are these: where Brad Maddox is concerned, there is nothing that the WWE can do since he is no longer with the company. As for Xavier Woods, I’ve seen some comments riding him for the action but generally see that people are okay with the situation. But as it concerns Paige, that is where I see the biggest differences in opinions with many people feeling that she should be fired or that this is the last straw and the WWE should release her while others state their support and stand in solidarity with her, feeling that the company should not fire her and keep her on the roster. But what really gets to me the most about the situation is how there is this general acceptance of Maddox and Woods being involved with the situation and the total disapproval and condemnation of Paige for her participation. The “slut shaming” that has arisen from this situation is absolutely appalling.
While I have seen countless images and memes congratulating or making light of the situation where Maddox and Woods are concerned (with some images even stating that WWE should induct Maddox and Woods into the WWE Hall of Fame as the greatest tag team in the company’s history) the complete opposite is taking place where it concerns Paige. The absolute hypocrisy and double standards that are on display with this situation is ridiculous – why is it that it is okay for men to appear in a sex video but a woman who is featured in a scandal like this is almost universally condemned? What is the difference between a man being involved in a consensual sexual relationship and a woman being involved in the same kind of relationship? Why do we still have these puritanical states of minds prevailing in the world where it is okay for a man to do as he wishes where for a woman it is frowned upon? I thought we were more evolved than this.
Double standards with relationships is one thing though, why any of this is on anyone else’s concern is something else. Why should she be fired from the WWE because of the leaked videos and pictures? What is wrong with a video involving consensual adults? To be fair, those videos were never meant for public consumption. What they did in the privacy of their own homes or living spaces is their business and their business alone. I’ve heard the argument stating that if they didn’t want these videos or pictures released they never should have made these files in the first place. But honestly, tell me that some of you out there haven’t done the same with your own consensual partners. I know my wife and I have; and, why shouldn’t we? It’s a fun and exciting way to keep things spiced up between couples. What we all do in the privacy of our own homes is no one else’s business. So why people are so hung up on the videos and the pics being created and not that someone broke into their private accounts and leaked these files is really concerning. More IWC fans are upset or shocked that the files exist than they are, and are generally forgiving, of the invasion of privacy. It’s an absolute deplorable situation only made worst by the total apathy for Paige, who is at the center of this situation.
I get that the WWE is going to look after their best interest in light of this situation, especially since they are A) trying to project a family-friendly image to their fans, and B) a publicly traded company with a board of directors to answer to – but when you look at past situations of this caliber (namely the Seth Rollins photo leaks), there is a precedence for the company not punishing an employee for their “immoral” or “deplorable” behavior. And the same can be done for Paige. True, what was leaked for Paige is a bit more than just a few pics of Rollins’ penis, but she didn’t intentionally release those videos and pictures – they were stolen from what she thought was a secured and private server and released without her consent; she should not be punished for the transgressions against her.
I’ve had my say on the whole issue concerning Paige and the leaked videos and photos and, honestly, I am sickened by a lot of what the IWC has said with regards to the issue. Sometimes it seems as though the majority of the IWC is nothing more than adolescent frat boys stuck in a misogynistic mentality that should have been left behind in the mid-1900s. As you can see I am totally on Paige’s side here as I believe that she did nothing wrong and should not be punished for actions beyond her control. When it comes to Paige and pictures there is just one that concerns me and her future with the WWE: performing inside a WWE ring.
