WWE wrestler Paige this week was the victim of a hack, having many of her private explicit photos leaked online.
In the aftermath of this horrifying situation, Paige’s parents Saraya and Ricky Knight have rallied around their daughter, fighting off online trolls and ensuring that Paige makes it through okay. The Knights are themselves professional wrestlers, and the WWE is currently working on a movie about their life.
Here’s everything you need to know about Paige’s parents, Saraya and Ricky Knight.
1. Ricky Knight Started Working on the English Independent Circuit in the 1990s
In the 1990s, Ricky Knight wrestled on the English independent circuit, especially with All Star Wrestling. He formed a tag team with wrestler Jimmy Ocean; their tag team was referred to as The Superflys.
In the early 1990s, Saraya was working at a restaurant in at a Norfolk summer camp when Ricky Knight, a professional wrestler, stopped by.
Saraya and Ricky soon fell in love, and it was Ricky who introduced Saraya to professional wrestling. She said in an interview with Art of Wrestling that the way she got into wrestling was that she “[m]et Ricky Knight, fell in love and never looked back.”
In 1994, Ricky and Saraya Knight teamed up with Jimmy Ocean to found the World Association of Wrestling in Norwich. Ocean left after a year, but the Knights continue to work with the World Association of Wrestling to this day. In the 1990s, Saraya served as The Superflys’ manager.
Saraya and Ricky were married in May 1990.
2. Paige Started Wrestling at Her Parents’ Promotion
In 2005, at the age of 13, Paige started wrestling for her parents’ promotion, World Association of Wrestling.
This was because a wrestler did not show up for an event, and so Paige’s father, desperate for someone to fill that slot, asked his daughter to step in, according to Bleacher Report. She wrestled under the name Britani Knight.
“I got hooked straight away,” Paige said. “And then my dad couldn’t keep me away. I knew this was what I wanted to do.”
Paige soon began wrestling more frequently for World Association of Wrestling, at one point teaming up with her mother in a tag team.
Although Saraya Knight’s real name is Julia Bevis, Paige’s real name is Saraya-Jade Bevis.
3. They Had Two Sons, Who Are Also Professional Wrestlers
In addition to having a daughter, Paige, Saraya and Ricky Knight also had two sons, Roy Bevis and Zak Frary, both of whom became professional wrestlers.
36-year-old Roy Bevis has wrestled for World Association of Wrestling, in addition to some other promotions like Xtreme Pro Wrestling and Frontier Wrestling Alliance. In September 2004, he was sentenced to nine months in jail for drunk driving.
Zak Frary has wrestled for World Association of Wrestling, Real Deal Wrestling, and Norwegian Wrestling Federation. He tried out for the WWE at the same time as his sister, Paige, but he was not accepted.
4. Lena Headey & Nick Frost Are Playing Them in an Upcoming Movie
Lena Headey was nominated for the third consecutive year for playing Cersei. (Getty)
In a movie being produced about the life of Paige, Lena Headey and Nick Frost will be playing Saraya and Ricky Knight respectively.
The movie is called Fighting With My Family, and it’s being written and directed by Stephen Merchant and produced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. It’s based on the documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family, which follows the Knights.
The film will also star Vince Vaughn as Jake “The Snake” Roberts. It is expected to be released in 2018.
5. They Both Say They Are Very Worried About Paige
Paige arrives for WWE RAW at 02 Brooklyn Bowl on April 18, 2016 in London, England. (Getty)
Over the past few days, both Ricky and Saraya Knight have posted some worrying updates about their daughter Paige.
In a recent Facebook post, Ricky Knight said that he is very worried about his daughter’s mental health. He also said that Paige “has not killed anyone” and that she simply “[had] sex in a private situation between consulting adults.” He went on to say that it will not help if people start supporting Paige after “it’s too late,” referring to instances where celebrities were demonized but the public changed their attitude towards the celebrity after they died.
On Facebook, Saraya Knight recently echoed her husband’s statement, saying, “I cannot lose my little girl!” She adds that “[t]here is a broken soul here” and that she hopes that those who are bullying Paige online don’t “take from me one of my most treasured gifts.”
She also recently said on Twitter that her husband is sobbing and can’t speak.
Sat with my husband, he is sobbing, he can’t even speak. I’m losing everything I love, the business we love will kill us it seems