On August 29, 2024, Artem Chigvintsev was arrested over alleged felony corporal injury, but the Napa County District Attorney later decided that he would not face charges. In September, Garcia filed for divorce, ending the couple’s two-year marriage, and now Chigvintsev has filed a protective order against the WWE Hall of Famer.
In a statement shared with The New York Post, Chigvintsev denies being the “primary aggressor” on the day of his arrest. Instead, he claims that he was arrested after Garcia lied to the authorities in an act that seriously harmed his public standing.
“As a result of his wife’s self-serving statement, Mr. Chigvintsev’s career suffered, with numerous opportunities being canceled due to these false allegations. Men can also be victims of domestic violence; Mr. Chigvintsev’s case highlights this reality. He was not the primary aggressor.”
Chigvintsev also included photos in his complaint, which allegedly show some of the physical harm he experienced by Garcia.
Incident at Breakfast
Both Garcia and Chigvintsev acknowledge that an incident happened over breakfast during the morning of August 29, though each side tells a different story. In his complaint, Chigvingsev claims that Garcia criticized him for not having their child’s breakfast and packed lunch prepared and complained that their son’s muffin was not toasted enough.
“She continued saying that she does everything, and I don’t help, which is absolutely false… [Garcia] completely lost it and started screaming ‘get the f**k out of my house, I am sick of all of it, I had enough.'”
In Garcia’s telling of things, Chigvintsev had become “increasingly angry, snapping at me, and yelling” after discovering he would not be returning for Dancing With The Stars‘ 33rd season. Chigvintsev got angry at Garcia over how their son Matteo’s English Muffin was toasted, claiming she had turned the four-year-old into a “picky eater.”
The former WWE Superstar has claimed that Chigvintsev “tackled me multiple times and pinned me to the ground while our child was present” in court documents viewed by TMZ. She adds that she grabbed at Chigvintsev’s neck to get him off her. Garcia has said that she was holding Matteo before Artem grabbed the child and barricaded himself in a room, a claim Chigvintsev called “a complete LIE.”
What’s to Come?
Per the court order granting Chigvintsev’s restraining order request, the couple will share joint custody of their son with “reasonable daily FaceTime contact between the child and non-custodial parent.” A judge has also declared that “neither parent shall make negative statements about the other in the presence of hearing of the child.” Similarly, neither Garcia nor Chigvintsev can question Matteo about the other parent. Both parties will be in court on October 21, for a hearing to consider their requests.