5 Shocking Ways The Paige Sex Tape Leak Permanently Changed Her WWE Career And Life
Saraya-Jade Bevis: Complete Professional Biography
Saraya-Jade Bevis is an English professional wrestler, actress, and media personality who achieved global fame as "Paige" in WWE. She is recognized for her groundbreaking career, becoming the youngest Divas Champion in WWE history at the age of 21 and the first-ever NXT Women's Champion.
- Ring Names: Paige, Saraya, Britani Knight
- Real Name: Saraya-Jade Bevis
- Born: August 17, 1992
- Age (as of 2025): 33
- Billed From: Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK
- Professional Debut: 2005 (at age 13)
- Family: Ricky Knight (Father), Sweet Saraya (Mother), Zak Knight (Brother), Roy Bevis (Brother) — The Knight Family
- Major Promotions: World Association of Wrestling (WAW), WWE (2011–2022), All Elite Wrestling (AEW) (2022–Present)
- Major Championships: 2-time WWE Divas Champion, 1-time NXT Women’s Champion
- Current Status: Active competitor in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as Saraya.
The 2017 Leak: A Catastrophic Invasion of Privacy
The unauthorized release of Paige’s private materials occurred in March 2017. The explicit photos and videos were part of a massive celebrity hacking scandal often referred to as "The Fappening" or similar leaks. The content involved Paige, fellow WWE star Xavier Woods, and former WWE wrestler Brad Maddox.
The exposure was immediate and brutal. Paige was publicly humiliated, targeted by online trolls, and faced intense scrutiny from fans and the media. At the time, she was already dealing with a neck injury and a prior suspension, which compounded the professional and personal stress.
WWE’s response was notably supportive. While the company has a strict conduct policy, they publicly and privately stood by Paige, reiterating that she was the victim of a crime. This stance was critical in helping her navigate the immediate aftermath of the scandal.
The leak also involved her then-fiancé, former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio (now Alberto El Patrón), further complicating the public narrative around her personal life.
The Devastating Mental Health Fallout and Recovery
The most enduring and tragic consequence of the leak was the severe toll it took on Saraya-Jade Bevis’s mental health. The public shaming led to a period of intense depression and self-harm ideation.
She has been candid in recent interviews about this dark time. The constant barrage of online abuse and the feeling of utter helplessness caused her to develop severe eating disorders.
"I was suffering from anorexia," she revealed, explaining that she felt so "rock bottom" and out of control that she tried to control her eating as a coping mechanism. She also spoke about losing her hair due to the stress and poor health.
The road to recovery involved extensive professional therapy. Her family, including her parents Ricky Knight and Sweet Saraya, expressed deep concern for her well-being, highlighting the very real and troubling effects of cyber-bullying and non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
How the Scandal Shaped Her Professional Trajectory
The 2017 leak, combined with a severe neck injury that forced her early retirement from in-ring competition in 2018, fundamentally altered her WWE career. However, her resilience turned these setbacks into new opportunities.
The *Fighting with My Family* Context
The 2019 biographical film *Fighting with My Family*, produced by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and starring Florence Pugh as Paige, brought her life story to a global audience. Crucially, the film largely stops before the 2017 scandal, focusing instead on her journey from the independent wrestling scene (WAW) as Britani Knight to her historic Divas Championship win. While the film is accurate in its portrayal of her working-class wrestling family and her brother Zac Knight's struggles, the omission of the sex tape was a creative decision to maintain a positive, underdog narrative.
However, the film’s success gave Paige a new platform to discuss the real-life trauma that followed the events depicted on screen, allowing her to control the narrative of her victimhood and recovery.
The AEW Rebirth: Saraya's Second Act
After her WWE contract expired in 2022, Saraya-Jade Bevis made a sensational return to active professional wrestling in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under her first name, Saraya. This move was a monumental moment, signaling her full recovery and ability to compete after years of retirement due to injury.
Her AEW career, which continues strongly into late 2025, has been defined by her work with factions like The Outcasts, featuring stars like Toni Storm and Harley Cameron. She has competed in major events, including the historic AEW All In London 2024, often embracing the "Queen of England" moniker. Her current run is a testament to her determination, proving that the 2017 scandal and her career-ending injury did not define her legacy.
The 5 Lasting Impacts of the Leak on Paige's Life
The incident transcended a simple news story, becoming a watershed moment that defined a new chapter for Saraya-Jade Bevis. These five impacts are the most significant elements of her lasting legacy:
- A Public Mental Health Advocate: The trauma forced her to become a vocal advocate for mental health awareness, openly discussing her battles with depression and anorexia, thereby helping thousands of fans facing similar struggles.
- The End of "Paige" and the Rise of "Saraya": The shift to her real name, Saraya, in AEW represents a professional and personal reinvention. It symbolically separates her current success from the darkest period of her life in WWE as Paige.
- A Test Case for WWE’s Support: The company's decision to treat her as a victim, rather than punishing her, set a precedent for how they handle non-consensual content leaks involving their talent.
- The *Fighting with My Family* Conversation: The movie’s success, coupled with its omission of the scandal, created a necessary public dialogue about the media's role in a victim's narrative.
- Unbreakable Resilience: The scandal is now viewed as one of the greatest obstacles she overcame, solidifying her reputation as one of the most resilient and compelling figures in modern wrestling history. Her current success in AEW is the ultimate act of defiance against her abusers.
Saraya-Jade Bevis’s journey serves as a powerful reminder that victims of non-consensual content sharing can not only survive but thrive. Her career, from the youngest Divas Champion to a cornerstone of AEW, is a testament to her strength, proving that the invasion of privacy she suffered in 2017 was merely a chapter, not the conclusion, of her remarkable story.
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