Saraya, best known to fans as former WWE Superstar Paige, was hacked in 2017. Her personal photos and videos of her leaked online at a time when she was already experiencing personal hardships.
This hack occurred when she was serving a suspension for violating WWE’s wellness policy. She was also recovering from neck surgery.
The suspension, her health battle and the privacy violation pushed her deeper and deeper into a dark period in her life.
During a recent appearance on Renee Paquette’s The Sessions podcast, Paige recalled her reaction when she learned what had happened (via Wrestling Inc.).
“I felt so f***ing stupid and I felt so embarrassed, and I was already a cokehead at this time and loved to drink. That really got me to the point where I didn’t want to be alive anymore. It was f***ing awful. I was just so f***ing sad.”
“I didn’t want to be alive anymore.”
Paige on her thought process after the 2017 leak.
Paige said that immediately after finding out what had happened, she hid in a bush in fear of people recognizing her and judging her.
Family Help
It was while hiding in the bush that Paige rung her father, wrestler/promoter Ricky Knight to apologize for what had happened.
Knight made it clear that he was supportive of his daughter and there was nothing to be sorry about.
“I remember being like ‘If my dad is disappointed with me, I don’t think I could be here anymore. I was just crying my eyes out, and I was like, ‘I’m so sorry.’ My dad was like, ‘What are you sorry for?’ And I was just like, ‘I don’t know. I just don’t want to disappoint you.'”
“I just want you to know that I’m still proud of you and I’m not disappointed.”
Ricky Knight’s kind words to his daughter Paige after the leak.
“He was like, ‘It is what it is. You’ve got to suck it up. It’s going to hurt for a little bit and people are going to make fun of you for forever. But I just want you to know that I’m still proud of you and I’m not disappointed.’ He instantly changed the way I was feeling because I was very down. It was bad. I was ready to f***ing end it all.”
WWE’s Response
WWE did not publicly address the explicit videos and photos being leaked at the time.
In the interview, Paige explained that the company’s internal response earned her goodwill for years to come.
“I spoke on the phone with Mark Carrano, and I was like, ‘I’m going to lose my job. This is it too,'” Paige said. “But they were like, ‘Listen, it’s not your fault.’ That’s why I will never talk s**t about them, at least publicly.”
WWE also promised to work incredibly hard to get her images and videos off the internet as much as possible.