Wrestling #MeToo #SpeakingOut

[RedTwoster]

3 hours ago, Merzbow said:

I know of unchecked transphobic bullying that forced one trainee out of the company, too. 

 

That’s a thread in itself. The way that transphobia has become mainstream, shifting from ‘it’s just about single sex spaces and sport’ to vitriolic, misgendering hatred and questioning a trans person’s right to exist is shameful.

And I do worry that it’s affected wrestling and specific wrestlers - Nyla Rose hasn’t appreared on AEW television since 2024. I’m not even certain that she’s appeared on ROH TV although I may be wrong about that. She’s charismatic, witty and talented, and whether it’s as a wrestler or non-wrestler I can’t see any real reason not to do something with her. While I wouldn’t suggest decision makers in AEW are transphobic, I do worry that someone, somewhere has decided it’s easier to simply not use her than deal with the vitriol the company and Nyla might get in 2026.

Similarly, I suspect Gisele Shaw has encountered barriers due to being trans. I thought she improved significantly in TNA, and a stint in NXT could have done her the world of good. If she wasn’t a trans woman, I suspect she would have ended up either there or in AEW just as other former TNA knockouts have.

I’d love to be proven wrong, and see them and others succeed. It’s all very unfair.

Edited March 11 by RedTwoster

[JLM]

Nyla has worked Eve multiple times and  been their world champion during that period, so they haven’t had that issue at least. I’m not using that as a “look they work with trans people so they’re all good” argument though. WWE did the whole women’s evolution thing with Vince at the helm. I read about that awful  Emily Read stuff and saw that she stepped down, hadn’t heard of any incidents since then so it’s disappointing to hear of other incidents of unchecked transphobia. In terms of the vibe at the shows and the diversity of the crowd it feels like a very inclusive space and easily the least scummy wrestling crowd I’ve ever encountered, so yeah, very saddened to hear that. 

[Ironic Indie Lad]

 

Good context from BomberPat.

Without knowing too much about it I was just thinking its weird that all the AEW main eventers insist on having a BritPaed around them. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

1 hour ago, JLM said:

Nyla has worked Eve multiple times and  been their world champion during that period, so they haven’t had that issue at least. I’m not using that as a “look they work with trans people so they’re all good” argument though. WWE did the whole women’s evolution thing with Vince at the helm. I read about that awful  Emily Read stuff and saw that she stepped down, hadn’t heard of any incidents since then so it’s disappointing to hear of other incidents of unchecked transphobia. In terms of the vibe at the shows and the diversity of the crowd it feels like a very inclusive space and easily the least scummy wrestling crowd I’ve ever encountered, so yeah, very saddened to hear that. 

One of the issues I know with Nyla is in certain states she was literally barred from wrestling due to being trans. It absolutely sucks but I can believe her not being booked frequently is knowing she might not be able to perform. And she was one of their first champs and beloved backstage which leads me to believe that’s the issue over anything else. I was delighted when she showed up at EVE Sunday.

also I agree, probably the best wrestling crowd I’ve been in. A few dickheads but none being racist or homophobic 

Edited March 11 by Hannibal Scorch

[organizedkaos]

5 hours ago, TheScarlettChad said:

What is it with Brit wres and nonces? There's very very few that aren't absolute wronguns. I know people like to think WWE killed Brit wrestling. That and the pandemic. But the boom was also killed by most of the guys who started it being peadophiles. 

I'm going to assume it's partly around the fact our age of consent is 16? Our country has happily sexualised teenagers for years right? I assume page 3 might (might) be a thing of the past but when i was growing up there was endless "She's 16 now, legally fuckable!" stuff in those newspapers. 

As others have pointed out there's then the legality of adult responsible for child and child but between the lack of regulation in wrestling and the lack of definition of those roles outside of the obvious teacher/pupil stuff it's gets murky (and I went to a school in early 2000s where a trainee teacher was openly dating a 17 year old pupil and there was genuine conversations about if they should be allowed to share a room when on a school trip so it's not like that definition has always been as clear as you'd think it should be).

Morality and legality don't have to be in sync but a lot of people will consider that if something is legal then it's morally acceptable. 

That's before you get to the fact that some people still think "is it morally OK to ply women with alcohol" is a conversation to be had. I remember the Hollyoaks date rape storyline where you genuinely had the evil date rapist suggesting use of those drugs to be the same as buying someone doubles when they asked for singles and that was presented as an evil person trying to justify their behaviour by conflating a bad thing with an acceptable thing

This stuff is in our culture and it's great that people are confronting that and railing against the idea that just because it's legal it's acceptable. But others disagree and if you want to wonder why this is even a conversation you need to look towards the culture of our country as a whole as much as the wrestling industry within it.

 

Edited March 11 by organizedkaos
DJ Assault - U Can't See Me (Ben Sims JFF Edit)

[Ironic Indie Lad]

21 minutes ago, organizedkaos said:

A lot of stuff about noncing and that

 

I am not sure I get your point. Are you saying its not actually a British Wrestling thing, its just a a British thing?

[organizedkaos]

Yes.  

There are obviously reasons specific to wrestling however but if someone wonders why it's so prevalent in Britwres I'd remind you to look at the brit as much as the wres

[theringmaster]

3 hours ago, WyattSheepMask said:

Wasn’t there meant to be a government department (or a deporting an existing department) set up to regulate British Professional Wrestling in the wake of Speaking Out? Or did that not actually come to fruition 

The bit i loved about the APPG was they asked for recommendations and then the report came out and they recommended that certain companies (they even named them) should govern the scene. Absolutely laughable how they got played 🤣

 

Lets face it-if you got mates in the right places, Speaking Out didn't apply to you.

It's genuinely sickening.

[DavidB6937]

35 minutes ago, organizedkaos said:

Yes.  

There are obviously reasons specific to wrestling however but if someone wonders why it's so prevalent in Britwres I'd remind you to look at the brit as much as the wres

I mean it's definitely not specific to wrestling or brits. There's a hell of a lot of absolute cunts all over the places in all countries in positions of power taking advantage of it.

[Hannibal Scorch]

Statement from Dan Reed via EVE’s discord

Okay, so… I’m not going to discuss this in places like Twitter or do “official statements” or anything like that – all I can do is talk on here as me like I always do. Whilst I’m sure there are genuine concerns from some people there like there are here, the way things escalate there quickly makes real conversation impossible. What we’ve built here is different.

I’ve now gone through everything above, and just want to say first off thank you to those who didn’t jump straight into attacking or trying to turn things into gotchas, and instead voiced concerns and asked for clarity. That genuinely makes a big difference.

Clearly some naivety on my part played a role here and I’m sorry if anyone had questions or concerns and didn’t feel comfortable asking me. That’s the exact opposite of the environment I want.

Paul has been back around the scene for a long time and at EVE he has been sat with the other producers in full view of anyone attending shows, on a raised staging area no less, so it isn’t a case of trying to hide him as I think someone above suggested. Quite the opposite, he’s been there in full view for almost a year.

The reason I’ve quoted Dev’s post is because both posts he put reflect the situation as I understand it, and as others in the scene including people within EVE understand it as well. I’ve seen some people say it was something he admitted to, but that has always been denied and there seems to be a lot of confusion around that point online.

I’d like to think, and I think a lot of you do judging by how kind people have been above, that I do my best to be as open as I can. What I can say is that I would never knowingly bring anyone into EVE if there was evidence they were a danger, or if they were someone not wanted there. And while I obviously can’t claim to speak for every single person, I think it’s pretty clear from how cast and crew interact with him that he has their support.

And honestly, I know some people will say that makes me naïve, but I don’t think the kind of support and relationships you see around EVE are something you can fake like this. You saw it yourselves this weekend. I don’t think Wrestle Queendom happens the way it did if there was some other feeling hanging over the place. If anything, the candid backstage photos people have been sharing, the interactions at the after-party etc probably show that better than anything that this is real.

I don’t think there’s a unicorn solution here that will appease everyone and I won’t claim this will suddenly fix things for everyone. At the end of the day this comes down to trust and people’s word, and if some people feel they have to tap out here – I get it, I do. But the statements shared above reflect the character that many people know, and I can’t in good conscience hold things against someone that do not seem to be accurately represented. So I have to believe we are doing the right thing in standing by that.

[theringmaster]

Via Eve's discord.....yeah he's definitely going to get some kickback in that forum🤔

[DavidB6937]

Easy to get cynical that he's hiding away but at the same time places like Twitter are an absolute cesspool and definitely not for reasonable discussion, so part of me can't blame him.

[Hannibal Scorch]

8 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

Easy to get cynical that he's hiding away but at the same time places like Twitter are an absolute cesspool and definitely not for reasonable discussion, so part of me can't blame him.

As soon as it was posted it was going to get picked up and posted on other sites. HOWEVER, by doing it there instead of X it’s not going to get replied and quote tweeted. Plus, that’s a good four or 5 tweets I reckon.

[lanky316]

39 minutes ago, theringmaster said:

Via Eve's discord.....yeah he's definitely going to get some kickback in that forum🤔

He was, that's why he addressed it and makes reference to some of that in the "statement". He still is following the statement because it hasn't been unanimously accepted as "oh well, that's alright then!" To be honest, it probably would have been a "just keep quiet for a week or so and wait for it to blow over" type of situation if it hadn't been for a general feeling of "WTF?" from a fair amount of people in there. I don't know enough about the ins and outs of what happened -I was aware at the time but as it was when I largely checked out of wrestling anyway most of it is long forgotten aside from "wasn't X a wrong 'un?" - so not going to comment in any real depth, but thanks to those in here who've offered a bit more information on the whole situation.

Edited March 11 by lanky316

[air_raid]

On 3/2/2026 at 4:39 PM, BrodyGraham said:

In unsurprising news Lana Austin has just posted a lengthy statement on the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband, Tyson T-Bone. 

The last Brit Wres boom really was a nest of absolute wrong-uns.

 

On 3/2/2026 at 4:54 PM, The Dart said:

I’ve had a real dislike of that guy ever since I was at a show he was on about 16 years ago and he just spat right in the face of a fan in the front row.  Nothing negative I read about him would surprise me.

 

On 3/2/2026 at 4:59 PM, Ralphy said:

I recall going to a show locally to me, about ten years ago. He was outside having a cig, I can't remember what he said to me, but it was some sort of insult he said to me, at the time I weighed about 8 stone 5 and he is a massive roid head, I found it honestly very pathetic. A castrated  hamster has bigger balls than him 

 

On 3/2/2026 at 5:30 PM, Chili said:

So I was around him a fair bit at PCW back in the day and honestly the best comparison I can give you is I got a Charlie Stubbs from Corrie vibe about him. Hope Lana is doing good and has a strong support system around her. A really lovely person to be around is Lana.

Yes, to all these sentiments. Without being too book/cover about it, T-Bone always felt the type. Conversely my first meeting Lana was coincidentally sitting next to her front row at a show without realising she was a wrestler. She didn’t strike up conversation about herself, but with “What do you think of T-Bone? He’s my boyfriend” with genuine excitement. She was ludicrously engaging and as soon as I started going to shows where she was wrestling, I shamelessly fanboi’d for her. Bought her 8x10s and everything, she was lovely. All the while, T-Bone snarling along seemingly oblivious to his good fortune.

It’s gutting to read how he everything came to pass, more than 10 years later. Really, punch in the gut.