At Kwinn Pop, we love our professional wrestling. We try and cover as many shows and organizations that we can. We have friends in the wrestling community and we try and be fair as much as we can. We don’t get dragged into arguments about who is better. We are pure fans. We do not take sides. When it comes to sexual abuse in the wrestling world, however, we firmly have chosen a side.
If you have not been on twitter, last week a twitter post was written by an indie wrestler. This thread was a heartbreaking account of being sexually abused while trying to wrestle. More accounts followed and suddenly timelines were flooded with wrestlers and fans sharing disturbing accounts of sexual abuse in many different shapes and forms. Victims were verbally abused by their attackers. These monsters would gaslight them and make people think they were overreacting to normal situations. It would get so bad that victims had to choose what shows they would work just so they would not be in the same building. The majority of stories have been told by women, but men have also come forward with their own tales. The reaction was shock, anger and support from other wrestlers and fans.
Strange, that this needs to be said, but sexual abuse has no place in wrestling or any where else. A person does not have to do anything they do not want to do. A wrestler is in the ring because they worked hard to get there. They don’t have to degrade themselves because some pervert thinks they have something to prove. These performers put their bodies at risk and now have to worry about a car ride or some corner of the locker room. They smile, hoping that if they just ignore the problems it will not happen. Some get hit with a preemptive strike and are labeled “difficult” to work with while theses monsters go looking for a fresh victim. This abuse does not have to be physical, as words and texts can be just as vicious.
To the victims who have spoken out : Thank You. Your courage and bravery show that your abusers can take your strength. They tried and failed, just like the pathetic lowlifes they are. Tell your story they way you need to tell it. Keep speaking up as change happens when you let your voices ring out.
To the victims who have not or can not speak out: We Understand. Situations make it hard and perhaps you are not ready. That is fine. You are no less strong or brave as the first group. Please, talk to someone, a friend or a therapist. Do not let these people (and we use that term REAL lightly) have any more control of you.
To Wrestling Organizations: Listen. You want to be fair and give everyone a fair shot. Fine. But when people keep coming to you and sharing similar stories, you need to take a very hard look. Don’t go by personal feelings or dollar signs. And let your people know that management’s door is always open and you have zero tolerance for this BS.
We encourage you to go and read these stories for yourself. It will not be an easy read, but it was nothing compared to the countless victims who lived it. We stand with the all the victims.
#SpeakingOut
