Xavier Woods appeared as the co-host of the SXSW Gaming Awards on Saturday, at the end of what has been an unfortunately eventful week for the WWE Superstar.
Earlier this week, a leaked sex tape involving Woods, fellow WWE Superstar Paige and former WWE employee Brad Maddox was posted online as part of another huge celebrity hack. Paige, who is still employed by the WWE but has not been seen on TV for months after a falling out with the company, tweeted that her private videos and photos had been stolen. Woods has remained mostly quiet regarding the incident, posting a now-deleted tweet reading: “It was a little chilly that night.”
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Woods, a member of the popular stable The New Day, made his first public appearance since the leaked videos were posted during the SXSW Gaming Awards, which he co-hosted alongside Twitch streamer Sonja Reid, known to her viewers as OMGitsfirefoxx. During their opening speech, Woods briefly referenced the elephant in the room.
In a back and forth exchange between Woods and Sonka, Woods began: “Sit back…” “…and relax,” Sonja continued. “Kick your feet up,” “Put on your fuzzy slippers,” “Take your socks off,” “Make some ramen,” “Call your mama,” “Tuck in your cats…” “…and delete your Twitter.” Woods then looked at the audience with a knowing grin, while Sonja rubbed his arm sympathetically.
You can watch the SXSW Gaming Awards below. Woods and Sonja appear at around the 52-minute mark, with Woods cracking his joke a few minutes later:
It’s uncertain whether or not the leaked tapes will affect Woods’ or Paige’s careers. Woods is one of the most popular Superstars in the company alongside his The New Day teammates Big E and Kofi Kingston, while Paige had a high-profile fallout with the company as a result of her relationship with former WWE champion Alberto Del Rio. According to sources, WWE pressured Paige to break up with her now-fiancee, with her not being seen on WWE TV since June 2016.
Meanwhile, The New Day have been named hosts of this year’s WrestleMania 33. It’s unclear whether this high-profile controversy will impact upon this decision, with many speculating that WWE will opt to not feature The New Day on next week’s episode of RAW.
