Honestly, if you were scrolling through wrestling Twitter back in 2017, you probably remember where you were when the servers basically melted. It was a mess. One minute everyone is talking about WrestleMania 33, and the next, the names WWE Paige and Xavier Woods are trending for all the wrong reasons. It wasn’t a scripted storyline. It wasn't a "work." It was a massive, invasive privacy breach that could have ended two of the brightest careers in the business.
But it didn't.
Looking back now from 2026, the way both athletes navigated that firestorm is actually a masterclass in resilience. You've got Saraya (fka Paige), who was the first-ever NXT Women’s Champion, and Austin Creed (Xavier Woods), the brains behind the most successful tag team in modern history, The New Day. They weren't just characters; they were real people dealing with a digital nightmare.
The Day the Internet Broke: The 2017 Leak
So, what actually went down? In March 2017, hackers targeted Paige’s private accounts. They stole a massive amount of personal content, including photos and videos. Among that stolen data was footage involving Xavier Woods and former WWE performer Brad Maddox.
It was ugly.
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The internet, being the place that it is, didn't exactly handle it with grace. Within hours, the footage was everywhere. For Paige, the timing was brutal. She was already sidelined with a serious neck injury and was dealing with the fallout of a couple of Wellness Policy suspensions. Adding a public "scandal" to that mix felt like a career-ender.
Paige didn't hide, though. She took to Twitter and was blunt about it: "Personal and private photos of mine were stolen and unfortunately they were shared publicly without my consent."
How WWE Handled the Heat
Everyone expected pink slips. In the past, WWE had a track record of distancing themselves from "controversy" faster than a Brock Lesnar sprint. But something shifted here. Maybe it was the realization that they were victims of a crime, not perpetrators of one.
- The "Blink and You'll Miss It" Acknowledgement: On the following episode of RAW, The New Day came out for a segment. Big E asked Woods if there was anything he wanted to talk about. Woods looked at the camera, gave a slight "I know you know" look, and then immediately pivoted to WrestleMania. That was it. No punishment. No suspension.
- The Decision to Move On: Reports from the time, including insights from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, indicated that WWE leadership decided to let it "blow over." As long as sponsors didn't revolt, the company was going to stand by their talent.
Why the Fallout Hit Differently for Both Stars
It’s kinda wild how the public reaction was split. Xavier Woods basically kept his head down and kept working. He leaned into his gaming brand, UpUpDownDown, and continued to be the glue for The New Day. Because he was a man in a male-dominated industry, he avoided a lot of the "slut-shaming" that usually follows these events.
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Paige had it way harder.
She later opened up in her WWE Chronicle documentary about the "soul-crushing" depression that followed. She mentioned how she didn't want to leave her house. She felt like the world was looking at her as a "video" rather than a wrestler. It took a massive toll on her mental health, something she’s been incredibly vocal about in the years since.
The Career Paths After the Storm
If you look at where they are now, it’s incredible they didn't just walk away.
- Xavier Woods: He didn't just survive; he thrived. He finally won the King of the Ring in 2021, a lifelong dream. He became a Tag Team Triple Crown winner. His YouTube channel, UpUpDownDown, became a legitimate pillar of WWE's digital strategy.
- Paige (Saraya): Her story is even more of a rollercoaster. After being forced into retirement in 2018 due to that recurring neck injury, she spent years as a manager and analyst. Then, in 2022, she shocked everyone by signing with AEW and returning to the ring under her real name, Saraya. She even won the AEW Women’s World Championship in front of a home crowd at Wembley Stadium.
The Reality of Celebrity Privacy in Wrestling
We often forget that wrestlers are essentially independent contractors living out of suitcases. Their lives are messy. When WWE Paige and Xavier Woods became the center of a global conversation, it highlighted a major problem: the "Fappening" style leaks weren't just hitting Hollywood; they were hitting the locker room.
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The fact that both remained prominent figures in the industry says a lot about their talent. If they weren't elite-level performers, the company might have found it easier to cut ties. Instead, their value—Woods as a creative genius and Saraya as a trailblazing icon—made them "un-fireable."
What We Can Learn from the Incident
Honestly, the biggest takeaway isn't the gossip. It's the shift in how we view privacy. In 2017, the conversation was often "Why did they film it?" By 2026, the conversation has rightly shifted to "Why are people stealing and sharing private data?"
Saraya’s openness about her struggle with suicidal thoughts following the leak has actually helped a lot of other people in the public eye. She didn't let the mistake of others define her. Neither did Woods.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you're following the careers of these two or looking at how to navigate your own digital footprint, keep these points in mind:
- Resilience wins: Both Woods and Saraya proved that if you are indispensable in your field, a personal crisis doesn't have to be the end of the road.
- Support matters: The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston) famously stuck by Woods, and the WWE locker room largely rallied around Paige. Finding a "tribe" is crucial when things go south.
- Separate the Art from the Noise: As a fan, focusing on the work (the matches, the promos, the content) rather than the private lives of performers helps maintain a healthier industry.
- Digital Security is Non-Negotiable: Use two-factor authentication (2FA) and be extremely wary of what you store in the cloud. Even the most famous people in the world aren't immune to a simple phishing scam or a targeted hack.
If you want to support their current work, you can check out Saraya on AEW Dynamite or head over to the UpUpDownDown YouTube channel to see Austin Creed still dominating the gaming space. Both have moved so far past 2017 that it's now just a footnote in two legendary careers.