Last night was a firestorm for social media revolving around Seth Rollins. The current Money in the Bank holder suddenly had nude photos of himself and NXT newcomer Zahra Schreiber. The photos were released by Rollin’s fiancée Leighla Schultz. According to Deadspin (LINK NOT SAFE FOR WORK, MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY) the photos even showed up on WWE’s website, which automatically grabs feeds from WWE Superstars accounts, which includes Rollins.
When this happens folks usually claim hack but Schultz was quick to post on Facebook that she did it, including quotes of text that Rollins allegedly sent to Schreiber. Rollins has since apologized for the photos being distributed without his consent.
While we here at Last Word on Sports are not here to “dish dirt” in the private lives of people, nor are we here to make judgments on the actions of others, it’s important to at least look at the situation from some angles.
A lot of people have discussed sympathy, or at least empathy, for Rollins in the situation. Many wrestlers, from Bret Hart to Jerry Lawler, have discussed how lonely it gets on the road and that their vice wasn’t drugs but sex. When you’re away from home and having issues, it’s real easy to find someone who isn’t going to give you those problems when you’re wealthy, good looking and emotionally available. While I do have an understanding for being there, let’s not forget two things: Zahra was not on the road with him (much of this was Snapchat images back and forth to each other) as she’s in Florida for NXT training, and an adult would just talk to their partner and ask for a break if they are feeling these urges. Who knows, maybe he did? We don’t know, and I feel dirty even speculating. Not my place. That said, even after such a disrespectful break of trust, he doesn’t deserve to have his privacy violated like that.
The next angle is, “If you don’t want nudes leaked, don’t take nudes”. This was discussed ad nauseum during the Jennifer Lawrence photo leaks. I’ll just link to this photo which says everything needed to be said on that matter.
Anyone who has been around the wrestling business knows there is a lot of infidelity between the men and women. That doesn’t excuse it but it does tell you that people see it around them and it becomes less and less abnormal and more and more like it’s something you can do without repercussion. The one person who hopefully receives no punishment on this is Zahra Schreiber, who is probably the most sympathetic figure here next to Rollin’s fiancée. Maybe some see her as someone who shouldn’t have helped a committed man cheat, but go ahead. Put yourself in her heels. You’re single, you want someone, they want you and tell you everything you want to hear. Are you going to just wait patiently for the two to break up or are you going to act on your emotional urges, which you are single and in no commitment not to? Maybe it isn’t looked upon as ethical as she likely knew he had a fiancée, but there’s one cheater in this situation. It wasn’t Zahra. It’s unfortunate her photos were spread and hopefully WWE doesn’t get stupid about this and try to punish her. She’s a talented young woman from Northern Michigan and deserves a chance to keep her dignity here.
What about Leighla Schultz? I don’t know Ms. Schultz and while posting those photos was disrespectful and wrong? It’s hard to say what we would do in the same situation until you are in the same situation. We all had a laugh when Shawn Michaels claimed Bret Hart was having “Sunny days” on live television, but his wife at home had to watch that. It’s humiliating and embarrassing. Sometimes revenge is the only way to feel like you have regained your dignity. This should have been kept private, but I do understand.
Does Rollins deserve punishment? No. The embarrassment in the situation is punishment enough. Not only did he get caught cheating, he got caught because he wasn’t smart enough to just buy a second phone to Snapchat another woman. I doubt Rollins would have any trouble paying for a second phone. Or heck, I’m sure Jamie Noble would let him use his phone. That’s his job in J&J Security right? I jest.
WWE might look to punish someone here as Triple H only a few weeks ago was saying that it was difficult to put Chyna in a WWE Hall of Fame when kids could google up her current job and now anyone googling Seth Rollins is going to find him naked on Deadspin. What’s more important is how silly that argument is coming from the company that was actively promoting and working with Playboy. Nudity is nudity. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. Conservatives might get knotted up in a bunch about it but there’s nothing wrong with the human body, even in a blurry Snapchat. WWE needs to recognize this is a private matter between three people and even when the Internet knows, it’s still not their business. I have heard of a morality clause in WWE contracts but again, it’s time for the WWE to stop being so hypocritical. Especially since technically these were stolen photos.
Simply put:
- Do not cheat.
- If you are cheating (which you shouldn’t), be smarter about it and do it on a different phone.
- If your fiancée is cheating on you, don’t post his photos and don’t post the woman’s photos either.
- WWE shouldn’t be punishing anyone in the situation as it’s a private matter unfortunately made public.
It’s difficult to write anything on this because again, this isn’t pro wrestling. These are personal lives. But we should consider some empathy in the situation. The right thing to do is first not cheat. The second right thing to do is not release private photos against a person’s permission. The final right thing to do is give everyone involved some privacy in this. And that’s the Last Word on the subject.
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