Should Seth Rollins Be Punished Over Twitter Scandal?

Unless you have been away from your computer the last few days, you will no doubt be aware of the story that has been all over the wrestling news. Seth Rollins on Monday is believed to have had his Instagram account hacked into, which released a nude image of developmental diva Zahra Schreiber. In response to this leaked image, Rollins’s fiancée Leighla Schultz posted two nude selfies taken of the WWE superstar. This news has flooded the wrestling dirt sheets and mainstream news. Whilst the images won’t be posted on this article, you can find the NSFW pictures on Deadspin.

In the immediate aftermath to this debacle, many were concerned about what response Rollins would face backstage. He is the Money in the Bank briefcase holder, leader of the Authority stable and the most over heel in the company at the moment. If this regrettable leaking of very personal pictures was taken badly, it could have dramatically derailed his push to the top of the roster and altered WWE’s plans for the foreseeable future.

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However, as it stands currently, it appears as though Rollins is being considered a victim in this scandal. Backstage officials commented that his account was obviously hacked into, and he is not the culprit behind it. And in the NXT: Rival Conference Call, Triple H began by stating that Rollins’s situation was both unfortunate and personal, and didn’t see it effecting his professional prospects. Rollins himself came forward personally on Twitter to address the matter at hand:

Going further than these facts at hand would be pure speculation that should not be given too much credence. We are unaware as of yet who originally placed the picture of Schreiber on Rollins’s accounts. Nor has it been confirmed whether Rollins was involved in an affair with the NXT diva, which would seem to be the assumption of his fiancee in posting extremely embarrassing pictures of the superstar. These details will be discussed more fully when and if more information comes to light.

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Instead, in recognition of WWE’s stance of support and absolving Rollins of any wrongdoing, one might ask whether he should be punished for such a debacle. Plenty of superstars have seen their pushes shelved and being placed in the dog house for a variety of reasons outside of their work in the ring. Be it for drug use, breaking curfews, drunken antics or criminal activity, scandals of this scale are likely to derail any momentum gained by the performer on television.

Fortunately, Seth Rollins’s position and value to the product likely protects him more than others. Although it feels wrong to say that there is one rule for some wrestlers and another rule for the rest, that often appears the case. When an important cog is caught out (like in the Randy Orton drug scandal a few years ago), they are more likely to be spared hefty punishment than those lower down the card. I mean, Emma was almost released entirely for petty theft due to not being a prevalent part of the show. Rollins has been built up far too much to let this incident derail it.

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And, like the backstage opinion suggests, it clearly was not him posting the images on his accounts. To do so would be the actions of a madman, and would undoubtedly result in his immediate suspension or dismissal. Whoever did post the original picture, be it Schreiber or simply an anonymous online hacker, they are the ones to be punished for such behavior. Whilst I would caution Rollins on taking such photographs in the future for fear of something like this happening again, these are extremely personal and do not deserve to have been exposed in this fashion.

So should Seth Rollins suffer any further punishment over this scandal? The superstar will likely have to endure enough embarrassment and jokes at his expense for the considerable future to have to be given any formal repercussions. Of course, more details will come to light as time passes, and this is definitely not the last fans will here about this situation. But for now, Rollins is a victim in this process, and hopefully over time fans will be back mocking him for his heel allegiances and rubber attire rather than pictures of his manhood.

Do you agree that Rollins is an innocent victim? Or should he face punishment for this scandal? Leave any comments below.