Reality of Wrestling owner Booker T fired Raychell Rose from the promotion because she was being stalked, the young wrestler has claimed this week.
Fightful reports that trainee Shawn Reed was asked to stay away from ROW’s training facility after several instances of his behavior making Rose and others uncomfortable. Despite this, he would make himself present numerous times. Rose attempted to file stalking and harassment charges but they were denied on the grounds the pair had never been in a relationship.
Early Problems
In conversations obtained by Fightful dating as far back as August 2021, it is made clear to Reed that his behavior was an issue. Reed claimed that Rose had “manipulated him into thinking she was single” despite it being widely known in ROW that she was in a long-term relationship. A ROW official, who Rose said was Kevin Bernhardt, urged Reed to train at Premier, as his attendance at ROW had been sparse as is. Rose told Fightful that Bernhardt knew she performed at Premier. Bernhardt was supposed to inform Booker T but did not do so.
After an incident in March 2022, Reed was ejected from the Houston Premier Arena, where Rose had been wrestling. On March 10, Bernhardt instructed Reed not to come to an upcoming event that Rose would be featured on. Reed contacted Bernhardt again in June for permission to attend an upcoming show, but Bernhardt denied him. It’s reported that this exchange was amicable.
Police Involvement
In September, Reed messaged Rose in an alleged attempt to make amends, despite being instructed multiple times not to contact her, including by police. That December, a situation at a ROW show saw multiple arrests, with Reed being among them. Students said at the time that this situation could have been prevented.
Reed would once again appear at a ROW show Rose was competing at. Rose claimed that she was told to notify police immediately if Reed was around her.
Booker T Involved
Booker T encountered Reed in the parking lot of that event. Talent claim that Reed had made threats on himself and implied to Booker that he was considering attacking the students, with some claiming he threatened to shoot up the venue. Booker reportedly walked Reed back into the venue after he’d been ejected in an effort to calm him doing and stop him doing anything “crazy.”
Arrests Made
After that event, Reed went to a bar that the ROW performers visted after every show as a tradition. Many claimed that Reed knew of this tradition and deliberately went to the bar to see Rose. She approached him at the bar and told him to stay away from her and that she was calling the police. Before they arrived, ROH talent confronted Reed. Rose claims Reed hit a ROW wrestler with a glass mug and attempted to hit her.
Reed and a ROW talent were arrested due to the incident at the bar. Booker T claimed the talent’s charges were expunged and he was quickly bonded out. Those we spoke to said that the attacked ROW talent’s medical expenses weren’t covered, though Rose thought they should be.
Rose added that she was told ROW would have armed security to deal with Reed at future events. She says this did not end up happening.
Raychell Rose is Fired
Rose said that upon speaking with Booker T after the incident, that she was fired from Reality of Wrestling, which she felt wasn’t justified. She believes she lost her role due to having a stalker she’d warned the company about. Those familiar with the situation said she was blamed for causing the problematic Reed to be around.
When Fightful asked Booker T, he confirmed Rose was fired from ROW. Booked cited internal reasons he wouldn’t elaborate upon as the reason for her exit. Booker called the issue a “nonstory” and pointed to Reality of Wrestling’s track record of not having similar stories emerge from their company.
Rose claimed that Booker was angry at her over the December incident which resulted in multiple arrests.
“Booker screamed and cursed at me when he arrived on the scene while I was talking to police at the December incident that this was my fault and I’m the reason people got hurt and arrested.”
ROW Departures
Fightful can confirm that multiple wrestlers left ROW in protest after the situation. One said that they left because the situation left them feeling unsafe and not protected at the venue after the situation unfolded, in light of the threats they heard Reed had spoken of.
Raychell Rose Comments
In her discussion with Fightful, Rose added the following:
“My safety has not been secure for years due to Shawn Reed and the lack of support I received from the people in charge at Reality of Wrestling which allowed Shawn’s actions to escalate the way they did unchecked. This issue being allowed to fester for so long has resulted in many hours of speaking in person to and on the phone with police officers, district attorneys, and lawyers because of this situation.
“I’ve spent and continue to spend a great deal of time in therapy sessions to process trauma related to this incident in hopes of one day fully overcoming the effects of it. That itself comes with a stigma, but it’s all a part of the healing process which I am learning to navigate and fully embrace.
“Overall I hope what comes out of this is Booker, along with the people placed in charge at his school, implement procedures and protections to ensure all threats are taken seriously in the future.
“Should they continue to not make students’ safety their priority, I hope that at the very least any women who train there or are looking for a place to train see this and are able to make an educated decision before they to put their safety into the hands of Reality of Wrestling.”
Rose added that she was thankful for the start ROW gave her and was grateful to the original trainers that she worked with who protected her and created a culture where people looked out for each other. She added:
“Despite these positive feelings about how things used to be, it doesn’t absolve the actions taken by Booker T and Kevin Bernhardt that were geared towards protecting their reputation and downplaying the events that led up to and followed the events of that night.”