Paige and all that

[The Thread Killer]

Years ago I worked with abused women. I ran a shelter/group home for abused girls and did counseling and support work with their families. It's scary how about 75% of the lines used in that interview are lines that I literally heard women or people in dangerously abusive and co-dependent relationships use. You add any sort of addiction to that mix, and you have yourself a recipe for repeated domestic violence at best, and a homicide at worst.

 

The whole "We're passionate people, we fight like cats and dogs and say and do horrible things to each other but then make up 20 minutes later" line has been used in pretty much every domestic violence intervention, ever. That kind of fighting - even without drugs - is usually a sign of Borderline Personality Disorder. Considering Paige's tumultuous family history on top of all that, there is very little chance this ends well. I feel horrible saying this, but she's pretty much a textbook case.

 

I know it sounds callous, but if I was WWE I'd cut bait and run, at this point. I don't care if she is "physically" able to wrestle again soon.

[DMJ]

No reason to feel bad The Thread Killer, textbook cases are called "textbook cases" for a reason.

 

When I was in college, I took a course called Treatment of Sex Offenders - it was fascinating for my buddies and I who were (and remain) pretty big fans of true crime/serial killer stories. Its grisly and gross to others, but whatever.

 

My point is - we studied from an expert who had spent decades working in the field. We read about Peter Pan Syndrome. We read about the cycle of sexual abuse (the idea that the abused child can sometimes become the abuser adult). We read about "grooming." We read about exposure to inappropriate sexuality at an early age and the glorification of youth/cuteness. In the end, we all left that classroom believing that Michael Jackson had probably performed inappropriate sexual acts with children. You hate to make that judgment based on circumstantial evidence - but every box that could be checked for "future sex offender" could be checked for him.

 

In this case, in their own words, they're confessing to a love "so passionate" that they want to kill each other one minute and then, 20 minutes later, are a happy couple. I hate using the words "normal" or "healthy," but I don't think I'm being too judgmental saying that their relationship is, too often, "unsafe."

 

 

EDIT - I also agree that releasing her, as callous as it is, is the right move. (I'd also add that despite what she's saying, I get the feeling that its a situation where in reality, the WWE doesn't want her back in their lockerroom [who could blame them?] and she really doesn't want to go back but can't say that because she doesn't wanna muddle up the movie deal).

[Jimmy Redman]

Umm, OK. I sincerely hope that none of the people calling for a woman to be fired from her job because she's probably a victim of domestic violence/an abusive relationship are in charge of firing people in real life.

 

I know we're in the wrestling bubble but like, what the fuck guys.

[El-P]

Umm, OK. I sincerely hope that none of the people calling for a woman to be fired from her job because she's probably a victim of domestic violence/an abusive relationship are in charge of firing people in real life.

 

I know we're in the wrestling bubble but like, what the fuck guys.

 

This.

 

I wish everyone the best.

[goc]

I have no idea how releasing her from WWE is supposed to help her especially considering if she actually does go back to work for them that's probably the only thing right now that would give her time away from Alberto.

[The Thread Killer]

 

Umm, OK. I sincerely hope that none of the people calling for a woman to be fired from her job because she's probably a victim of domestic violence/an abusive relationship are in charge of firing people in real life.

 

I know we're in the wrestling bubble but like, what the fuck guys.

 

This.

 

I wish everyone the best.

 

 

Don't be obtuse, both of you.

 

And let's not be naive, either. WWE isn't in the helping Paige business, they're in the making money business. There may well be people who work for WWE that like Paige, but in the bigger picture, they most likely don't give a damn about her one bit, above her ability to make them money. When she can make them money and do them good, they'll love her.

 

Right now she's a massive liability. If you don't think that is the way they see her, then you've obviously never had a job "in real life."

 

In the past year, Paige has been suspended twice for violating the wellness policy, which she publicly denied and tried to deflect responsibility for, using social media.

 

She is engaged to marry a former WWE employee, who is now the main star of their competition, such as it is. This guy, her fiancee, publicly bashes the WWE every chance he gets, insults the physical appearance and personal lives of their owners and top executives, and went on to threaten current employees of the company, inviting them to his place of business so he can beat them up.

 

She has been involved in at least two high profile domestic incidents with her fiancee, both of which involved rumors of drug involvement.

 

She was involved in a sex tape which involved a current and former employee of the company.

 

All of that in the past year, more or less.

 

Does anybody here honestly think that she isn't in a downward spiral, and that WWE doesn't want to wash their hands of her before she ends up on the front page? The WWE is a publicly traded entertainment company. A huge part of their audience is parents and little kids. Paige is a ticking time bomb and a potential PR nightmare. Does anybody remember Vince's infamous "I don't want an Olympic Gold Medalist dying on my watch?" line when Kurt Angle seemed determined to kill himself in and outside the ring?

 

So what did he do? He cut Angle loose.

 

That's the cold, hard, business facts of the situation.

 

But hey, let's say I'm a bad guy for suggesting they release her. They need to keep her on, to "help her." So they don't release her, even though she is clearly saying in this interview that as far as she is concerned, everything is hunky dory.

 

What the hell kind of message does it send to the fans, to the WWE locker room, and (most importantly to them) the WWE stockholders, if after all that has happened over the past year, WWE puts Paige back on TV? "We don't care if you are going down in flames, so long as we can still squeeze another dollar out of you before you croak!"

 

This is the proverbial no-win scenario and Paige and Alberto have made it that way.

 

On an emotional level...do I think Paige is in trouble? Of course.

 

Do I think she should get as far away from José Rodríguez aka. Alberto Del Rio as humanly possible? Of course.

 

Who wouldn't think that? Who wouldn't wish her the best and want her to get away, and be happy? Everybody can see that this situation is going to end badly, except for Paige, unfortunately.

 

The one thing that this interview made clear is that we are not dealing with a "simple" (for lack of a better term) case of domestic abuse, where one person has the power and is victimizing another. It would likely be easier to help Paige if that what this was, you get her away from him (like preferably in different countries for a while) and let the legal system deal with him. (As ineffective as that is, but that's another story.)

 

I'm not convinced she really wants to be away from him at this point, sadly. She should, but I don't think she does. What is happening now (as is clearly evidenced by this interview) is that Paige and Alberto have a co-dependent relationship, likely being exacerbated by drug use. Sadly, a similar type of scenario would be Sid Vicious (the musician, not the wrestler) and Nancy Spungen.

 

I would speculate that in this particular situation, Alberto has the power, but he also likely has a powerful psychological grip over Paige as well. It's one thing to lock a woman in a closet and make her a prisoner. It's another to convince her she can't escape by using fear. Making her feel helpless. But it's another thing entirely to convince her that she wants to be there. That everybody is against them, that nobody understands them as a couple. These types of couples usually end up "loving" each other to death.

 

This is all purely speculation on my part - based on what I have read about their situation, and based on my own experience dealing with other people in very similar situations. I spent a huge chunk of my career beating my head against the wall when dealing with domestic scenarios which were frighteningly similar to the way this one appears. But I'm not there, so I don't know of course. None of us can.

 

I would hope that WWE has tried to help Paige. I assume that they have, not out of humanitarian motives either. If they haven't, then they really need to, now. However, if she doesn't take their help, or even think that she needs it, then yes...I think that they should cut her loose. Lord knows she needs help, but if she doesn't think so, or want the help...then from a business and PR standpoint, it makes sense to let her go.

 

It's not like there isn't countless precedents for situations identical to this throughout the entire history of the entertainment and sports industries. Actors and athletes both have been fired from films, movie studios, sports teams etc. when they are engaged in self destructive behaviors that could cause embarrassment to their employers.

 

I'm not advocating that while dancing around rubbing my hands together, laughing with delight. It's a sad situation, liable to become tragic.

[C.S.]

Beautifully said, Thread Killer.

[The Thread Killer]

I should mention that the reason I assume that this is not a standard case of domestic abuse, is that there is ample evidence that Paige poured a drink over Alberto's head, in public. In all of the cases I have ever read about, heard about or seen of spousal abuse, I have never known the victim to provoke the abuser like that. Never, ever. That is one of the things that makes domestic abuse so horrifying - that the abuser usually attacks the victim for no reason whatsoever, except for some perceived slight that only exists in the abuser's mind, which gives them some perverse justification. That is what makes me think they are involved in a co-dependent, mutually destructive relationship. It doesn't make what is happening with Paige any less tragic, it only makes it a different type of abusive dynamic.

 

(And before anybody jumps down my throat, NO...I don't think if Paige dumped a drink over Alberto's head she "deserves" to be assaulted, either. I'm simply saying that in my experience most domestic abuse victims would never dream of doing anything like that, and would be terrified to do so.)

 

The other thing I should have mentioned is, that for what it's worth, if I think Paige should be released by WWE then of course Alberto El Patron should be released by GFW. That goes without saying. I have no confidence it will happen, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I think that GFW is more concerned with having any ex-WWE wrestler with name recognition on their roster than they are with doing the right thing. Secondly, from what I understand Jeff Jarrett is in charge of making those types of decisions and I think Jeff Jarrett is the world's biggest Idiot Savant, minus the Savant part.

[El-P]

I must admit I don't follow your reasoning at all. So, what Paige is going through is tragic. So let's fire her on top of that. That surely would help a lot, as opposed to "Get her away from a possibly toxic boyfriend and focus her back on work as soon as possible"...

 

Anyway. This is pure speculation anyway. No one knows what happens behind closed doors between these two. In airports, well, we kinda do. "The coke's in in her bags !" and shit...

 

I just wish everyone well, like I said.

 

(and really, who never had her/his partner throw shit at him in the street or slap him in public ? Ok, maybe my ex was borderline crazy, but still... I know the feeling...)

 

EDIT : kinda odd coincidence, I'm rewatching the great documentary "Amy" tonight. Such a sad story...

[Johnny Sorrow]

My ex-wife was a big time thrower. It had nothing to do with our marriage ending, we'd argue, she'd throw things and I learned to duck. 😄

[sek69]

I mean, it does sound cold as hell but it's not WWE's job to save Paige. Plus who's to say they haven't tried to reach out and she blew them off? There's a reason that cutting ties with someone who refuses help ends up being the best option sometimes.

[The Thread Killer]

and really, who never had her/his partner throw shit at him in the street or slap him in public ? Ok, maybe my ex was borderline crazy, but still... I know the feeling...

 

My ex-wife was a big time thrower. It had nothing to do with our marriage ending, we'd argue, she'd throw things and I learned to duck.

 

I guess I got off "lucky." My ex-wife never slapped me, hit me or threw anything at me.

 

She cost me my home and business, bankrupted me, embittered me and disillusioned me toward the entire concept of romantic love forever, sure.

 

But she never hit me.

[iamthedoctor]

In the audio that leaked, wasn't Alberto screaming to check her bags for cocaine while in an airport? That seems like something pretty serious to gloss over now on two people here on passports with how strict our drug laws are & how crazy airports have been.

 

I still don't buy the whole Del Rio is innocent in this. Plenty of men play the im innocent rule to make the female look bad so I don't think hes that innocent as people like to claim and Paige is covering for him.

[Seabs]

I mean, it does sound cold as hell but it's not WWE's job to save Paige. Plus who's to say they haven't tried to reach out and she blew them off?

So that's what Maddox and Woods were both doing in that hotel room then.

[FMKK]

 

I mean, it does sound cold as hell but it's not WWE's job to save Paige. Plus who's to say they haven't tried to reach out and she blew them off?

 

So that's what Maddox and Woods were both doing in that hotel room then.

What does her having consensual sex before she was even with Del Rio have to do with anything?

[Victator]

Paige is still young and has the potential to change. If she is on the road with WWE, that is probably good for her and Del Rio.

She is talented in the ring and has charisma. She could be an asset to a stale division.

Now if she carries her toxic relationship to work then get rid of her. But I don't think employers should stick their noses into independent contractors lives.
.

[El-P]

But I don't think employers should stick their noses into independent contractors lives.

 

I agree and love the fact you used "independent contractors" here. Yes, and yes.

[Rah]

 

 

I mean, it does sound cold as hell but it's not WWE's job to save Paige. Plus who's to say they haven't tried to reach out and she blew them off?

So that's what Maddox and Woods were both doing in that hotel room then.

What does her having consensual sex before she was even with Del Rio have to do with anything?

 

It's a play on Sek69's words. That people in the company (Maddox/Woods) tried to help her and she returned the favor by blowing them off (orally).

[El-P]

A joke is always funnier when you explain it.

[BigBadMick]

I think it's just an Ill advised attempt at humour

[Sidebottom]

What was Paige up to before she went on this massive hiatus? Honestly drawing a blank.

[DMJ]

She was kind of feuding with Charlotte, I think, but IIRC Sasha Banks was already pencilled in to have the extended feud over the title - and as the women's division was still only really presenting one feud at a time, I think she would've just been kind of floating around the periphery. Maybe a heel turn and rivalry with Becky Lynch would've been in the cards? I'm not really sure, but I definitely don't remember her being spotlighted at the time over the relative newcomers from NXT.

[Victator]

She was already a heel. She did that promo insulting Reid Flair.

[Alucard]

She was already a heel. She did that promo insulting Reid Flair.

 

That bizarrely led to a double turn at the end of 2015 with Paige re-turning face.

 

Before she left as mentioned she was sorta back feuding with Charlotte. She beat her on Raw twice then lost the title match. Her last match was teaming with Sasha against Charlotte & Dana in June 2016

[iamthedoctor]

 

GFW announced on Monday that they have stripped Unified World Heavyweight Champion Alberto El Patron of the title due to the recent domestic incident with Paige at an Orlando airport.

 

Patron took to social media and issued the following statement on being stripped of the title:

My company Impact and I have come to an agreement that it's best for both parties if I be stripped from the championships. I came up with the suggestion just to show that Impact doesn't have favorites and everyone gets treated the same. Apologies to fans and my brothers and sisters in the company, even though I came out all clear and there was no wrong doing, it was still a scandal. So thanks for your support and let's move forward more positively. One day I hope to be your champ again! #SiSiS

 

 

Impact doesn't have favourites?

 

If they didnt have Favourites Patron wouldnt have been given the title as soon as he came in.