If you haven’t been on the internet over the past 48 hours, news has broken out that Paige had personal photos leaked onto the internet. These photos, as well as an accompanying video, showed her in an intimate situation with one of her co-workers. Ever since they have been leaked, the IWC has, unsurprisingly, erupted.
It’s a dreadful situation to find oneself in. You think that something you keep on your phone or computer is locked away securely, only for someone you either don’t know or might’ve trusted previously to access them and threaten to release as much as possible to the public.
Right now, this issue is being dealt with privately by Paige and her family, but one mustn’t forget for whom Paige works. WWE has long been more than willing to pounce on any high-profile happenings outside their sphere of influence in order to use them for their own gain.
From creating the Warrior Award in memory of the Ultimate Warrior to the ‘Eddiesploitation’ that lasted months and months after Eddie Guerrero passed away, WWE has often sought to weave reality, no matter how controversial, into its storylines.
While Paige’s current situation with WWE remains complex, there is a chance that they might to the same things they did in the past with her. Vince McMahon hasn’t shied away from using controversy to generate interest in his product, and actually, might do the same thing in this case. Sure, it might look bad for him to be using real-life controversy to improve his ratings, but he has done the same before and has gotten away with it.
Even if today’s WWE is far more risk-averse, there’s a chance they could find a way to use these recent developments to create more interesting programming. If that’s what they decide to do, these are the five best suggestions for how they should go about it.
#5 As Punishment For Xavier Woods
New Day member Xavier Woods is believed to have taken part in at least one of the videos involving Paige, which definitely wouldn’t look good on him. The New Day are supposed to be all about positivity, and when they do engage in ‘bad’ activity, its under the guise of hijinks or mischief. Being involved in a private video with one of his co-workers would damage that image and could harm the New Day’s future.
But instead of doing some harm to the group, this could actually be used to revitalize the otherwise directionless New Day. They haven’t really done anything since losing their tag team titles, so a storyline showcasing one of them as doing something contradictory to the group’s mantra could make for a compelling story.
Would Kingston and Big E turn on Woods for his behaviour? Would Kingston, who has spoken publicly about being a father, lambast his ally for his actions? Would it damage the positive role model ideal WWE has been trying to cultivate for Woods for years, ever since the ‘WWE 24’ video showing him wrestling while trying to complete his Ph.D.?
Even if Woods ends up being an innocent party in all of this, it would make for an interesting turn of events for Woods, especially since these events are so contradictory with his on-screen character.
#4 As A Way Of Bringing Back Brad Maddox
Brad Maddox had an unceremonious departure from WWE. He received major criticism for calling fans in attendance ‘pricks’, which Vince McMahon didn’t like. Because of this, his final TV appearance involved him receiving a Tombstone Piledriver from he Undertaker while dressed as a turkey (no, seriously).
With WWE’s creative direction somewhat stagnant, and the writers having a tough time coming up with fresh material, there is a possibility that they could use this controversy to bring back Brad Maddox, at least for a brief storyline. If they were to do so, they probably wouldn’t feature Maddox facing off against Paige, even if she’s the clear victim of this situation.
But what WWE could do instead is a mini-feud between Maddox and Xavier Woods over how this entire situation compromised his appearance as well. Woods’ character is meant to be kid-friendly and a positive role model. With these new revelations, that character’s future is in jeopardy, as is Woods’ WWE career in general.
Woods could play the angry babyface whose livelihood was put at risk, wanting to get revenge on the man that could’ve robbed him of his dream. At the same time, Maddox could play the arrogant jerk looking to make a quick buck off of someone else’s fame and private life. Woods would be cheered instantly as a character most fans could empathize with, while they’d also hate Maddox for being the kind of person that posts intimate material online for personal gain.
Even if Woods destroyed Maddox in a one-sided squash match, it could generate a lot of interest from fans wanting to see such a despicable character get his just desserts.
#3 Another ‘Stand With’ Storyline Where WWE Piggybacks Onto Paige’s Support
The overwhelming response to Paige’s situation on social media has been one of support. Most people have stated that they condemn these leaks and stand with Paige, to the point that the hashtag, ‘#IstandwithPaige’ has started trending.
Now, Vince McMahon has developed some kind of weird obsession with social media recently and likes to boast how WWE has so many followers on this platform and that platform. So, if one of his wrestlers starts gaining an organic following over unforeseen circumstances, you can be sure he and the rest of WWE will try to capitalize on that.
WWE could use this surge in support to show themselves as standing up for women’s equality in some way, or by using this as another way for more people online to try and support WWE in general. It wouldn’t be the first time WWE did something like this. As you might recall, it was AJ Lee that first started the hashtag ‘#GiveDivasAChance’.
When that became a trending topic, WWE manipulated events to suggest that Stephanie McMahon started it, and then led to the Women’s Revolution. They did this to make themselves look like champions of women’s equality, ignoring the fact that it was WWE’s management itself that had taken the women’s division in such a poor direction in the first place.
WWE is a company that loves to toot its own horn and pat itself on the back. If this trend in support for Paige were to grow, you can be sure WWE would find a way to piggyback onto it for their own gain.
#2 As Another Part Of The Cena/Nikki/Miz/Maryse Feud
WWE have been reluctant to discuss their wrestlers’ real-life relationships for many years, but the Miz has been throwing that out of the window as of late. He was the one that revealed to the WWE Universe that Dean Ambrose is dating Renee Young, and he has made some very ‘shoot-like’ comments regarding the relationship between John Cena and Nikki Bella. Given this trend in his promos, he could try and pour more salt on the wound by referencing Paige’s situation in a promo aimed at Cena and Nikki.
It can be mentioned that Paige and Alberto Del Rio are engaged and are sticking with each other through thick and thin. This could be further used by Miz and Maryse to take digs at Cena and Nikki for them still not being married and highlighting more flaws in their relationship.
This would be an excellent way for the Miz and Maryse to get more heat. By showing how such a ‘troubled’ WWE superstar has managed to work things out with her fiancée while Cena and Nikki are in the same relationship situation, it would be a great way for the heels to get under the babyfaces’ skin.
Fans would also boo Miz for bringing up something so sensitive, but that’s the point. Dusty Rhodes once said, ‘If you hear a promo and it makes you uncomfortable, it was a great promo.’ Doing something like this would be a perfect example of that.
#1 To Set Up A Feud Between Paige And Stephanie McMahon
Because WWE is a publicly-traded company with many sponsors, the wrestlers must walk on eggshells when it comes to pushing any boundaries. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the controversy surrounding Paige became so serious that WWE would be left with no choice but to fire her.
If this were to happen, they could do two things. One, they could fire her and wait for the heat surrounding this whole situation to die down, just like they did when Daniel Bryan choked Justin Roberts with his own necktie.
The other and better option, would be to take this situation and use it as a mechanism to bring Paige back with more heat. Let’s say WWE does fire her, and one of WWE’s on-screen authority figures (ideally Stephanie McMahon) takes credit for this decision, citing it as being ‘best for business’. Stephanie gets heat for firing someone for reasons that were completely beyond her control, and fans begin demanding Paige be reinstated. In reality, Paige is not actually fired, but is given time to recover from her surgery.
Once Paige is ready to return, the other authority figure on RAW announces that Paige is reinstated and she wants a match with Stephanie. Right then and there, you have a highly popular babyface wrestler whose return would have been hyped for months, returning to confront the evil overlord that stripped her of her livelihood. Fans would love to see that happen.
