Joey Ryan has been out of work in the wrestling business and now he longer has his gig at Disneyland.
Images had been surfacing of Ryan working for the Jungle Cruise attraction. Fans were quick to jump on the pics and react negatively as Ryan had been accused of sexual misconduct during the Speaking Out movement back in 2020.
Joey Ryan who in June 2020, was accused by several women of sexual misconduct during the #SpeakingOut movement, causing him to be released from Impact Wrestling is now working as a cast member on the Jungle Cruise ride at @Disneyland.
The LA Times reports that Joey Ryan had been working at Disneyland for three months on a probationary period. A Disneyland spokesperson confirmed to the news outlet that Ryan is no longer working for them.
The spokesperson did not comment on whether or not the accusations played a role in Ryan being fired.
It was also said that during Disneyland’s screening process for Ryan’s hire, the harassment accusations were not brought up.
It has been quite the fall from grace for Joey Ryan. He went from being one of the most beloved indie wrestlers to becoming public enemy number one due to the horror stories from those who accused him of sexual misconduct.
Yesterday, a charity show titled “Wrestling for Women’s Charity” began circulating a poster. Joey Ryan’s face on the poster drew a heavy reaction from fans online. It was later revealed that Ryan’s “Bar Wrestling” had some affiliation with the show.
AEW’s Tony Khan then stated AEW talent would not be appearing on the show if Ryan was involved. The promotion then Tweeted out that they were canceling the event. This all happened within the span of a few hours.
If Joey Ryan is there, my people won’t be there. I’ll gladly donate to the charity though.
Joey Ryan has dropped the lawsuit he won a default judgment on against his accuser. This could potentially mean some agreement was made between the two parties but that is just speculation. Although the name is being redacted on reports (including this one), the accuser deactivated their Twitter recently. Ryan’s Twitter has been wiped of all Tweets as well, it seems.
Ryan’s legal team filed to dismiss the lawsuit yesterday, the same day he appeared on the poster for the women’s charity show. Via HeelbyNature:
“TO THE COURT AND ALL PARTIES IN THIS ACTION, PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT plaintiff, Joseph R. Meehan (Meehan), voluntarily dismisses without prejudice defendant, REDACTED. REDACTED has not answered or filed a motion for summary judgment. This notice is made pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(a)(1)(A). Dated: March 2, 2021, Los Angeles, California UTZURRUM LAW OFFICES, A.P.C”
Former ROH Wrestler, Pelle Primeau, is fundraising for his legal defence.
in good news, my deadline to reply is now March 26th, and I am building up a pro se defense that I feel is going to be legendary.
I'll need as much help as I can possibly get with drafting/editing/review, so any amount will help! https://t.co/nEKwjg6URs
Stephen P. New is a lawyer MLW fans will be familiar with. He sponsors the weekly episodes of MLW Fusion every Wednesday night. He appeared recently on The Jim Cornette Experience and spoke about Joey Ryan’s lawsuits against his accusers from the #SpeakingOut movement. New mentioned he has been in contact with Pelle Primeau, who currently has a GoFundme account up to help with his legal defense.
“Pelle Primeau had recorded a YouTube video, put it out on social media, it was about 35-40 minutes long, detailing some of the misdeeds of Joseph Meehan, professionally known as Joey Ryan,” New said. “Late in 2020, Mr. Meehan decided to sue not only Pelle Primeau, he sued Impact Wrestling for breach of contract down in Nashville, TN. He sued several young ladies and some others for what had been stated on social media.”
New continued to explain that Ryan has filed a lawsuit for $15 million against each defendant. The lawsuits were filed in California, despite the fact that several defendants don’t live there. Primeau reached out to New because of the wrestling connections they shared. New was able to get the lawsuit moved out of California to Pennsylvania federal court.
“This is a bully attempting to bully in a legal arena and we just don’t like bullies,” New said of Ryan.
Stephen P New Comments On Joey Ryan’s Lawsuits
New was also asked about Ryan being awarded a default judgment against an accuser recently. The defendant failed to reply to the lawsuit in time, leading to the judgment.
“She will probably, most likely, be forced to file bankruptcy, any of these defendants, if they are not able to satisfy a judgement. The interesting thing about that, Jim, is that intentional conduct and punitive damages can’t be bankrupt out.”
New continued to say that they would still be on the hook to pay punitive damages.
“Bankruptcy is only a limited option for these defendants if he wants to pursue that doggedly for a number of years and that’s no fun. The young lady that you mentioned, he got a default judgment against her. Default judgment is when somebody doesn’t respond to a lawsuit. At that point, the matter of did she do it is over.”
New’s comments can be heard in the player below:
Posted February 23rd, 2021 in News. Tagged: Joey Ryan.
Joey Ryan has launched several lawsuits against multiple of his accusers from the #SpeakingOut movement last summer. He still has other ongoing lawsuits against other accusers, however. He also has active suits against Impact Wrestling and another person who spoke out against him online.
In an update to this story, according to documents obtained by HeelByNature, 3 of Joey Ryan’s lawsuits against female accusers have been dismissed. The cases were dismissed without prejudice, however, meaning Ryan has the option to re-file. The judge dismissed this case due to Ryan’s legal team missing a February 5th deadline to file additional information.
“The OSC required not only the POS, but also either Defendant’s response to the Complaint or Plaintiff’s Application for the Clerk to Enter Default. Plaintiff has not adequately responded to the OSC. It is well-established that a district court has authority to dismiss a plaintiff’s action due to her failure to prosecute and/or to comply with court orders,” reads a section of the documents. “Accordingly, the action is DISMISSED without prejudice.”
A judge recently awarded Ryan a default judgment against another one of his accusers. This was due to the accuser not responding to the lawsuit in time. He has an ongoing lawsuit against former ROH Wrestler, Pelle Primeau as well. Several GoFundMe accounts have been set up for people dealing with legal expenses. Primeau’s can be found here or in the below Tweet:
Someone needs to beat Ryan in court. If he succeeds it's going to create a blueprint for people like him going forward. Do what you can:https://t.co/7CDyiiSnnU
Joseph Meenan, better known to wrestling fans as Joey Ryan, has been awarded a default judgement against one of his accusers. Ryan was the subject of numerous allegations from multiple parties as part of the Speaking Out movement this summer. In the aftermath, he has launched multiple lawsuits against some of his accusers as well as Impact Wrestling.
As first reported by the SoCal Uncensored website, Ryan was awarded a default judgement after one of his accusers failed to respond in time.
Joey Ryan won one of his court cases today with a default judgement against Allie Kat. pic.twitter.com/kqQYcqZqwm
According to a report from HeelByNature, the defendant was served with legal papers on October 26th, 2020 but never responded. The report states that the documents were left at the person’s residence but not served to them directly. It is still possible for the judgment here to be set aside, however.
Ryan’s legal team also asked for a default judgment to be awarded against Impact Wrestling after the company failed to respond in time. Impact did eventually respond to Ryan’s lawsuit and the case is still ongoing.
Recently, Joey Ryan posted to Twitter that he is not a criminal and has not committed any crimes.
“I have not committed any crimes. I have never been investigated for a crime. There has never been any evidence connecting me to a crime. I have never even been a person of interest in a crime. It is bizarre that some would expect me to live my life like a criminal,” Ryan posted.
Posted January 21st, 2021 in News. Tagged: Joey Ryan.
Joey Ryan has been posting more on social media in the new year and took to Twitter today to send out an interesting message.
Ryan has apparently seen tweets about him from various people and how they think he should live his life in the wake of serious allegations against him during the #SpeakingOut movement.
He wrote, “I have not committed any crimes. I have never been investigated for a crime. There has never been any evidence connecting me to a crime. I have never even been a person of interest in a crime. It is bizarre that some would expect me to live my life like a criminal.”
The sexual assault allegations were made against him last year. Ryan had his contract with Impact Wrestling terminated in June due to the accusations. Later on, he released a video that was about one-hour long where he addressed the allegations. However, the video wasn’t available for long as it was deleted on his YouTube channel.
Since that time, Ryan has filed various lawsuits including two against his accusers for defamation. However, those lawsuits have been dismissed.
Joey Ryan has released a new video addressing allegations made against him as part of the #SpeakingOut movement. Ryan begins the video by saying he has been silent this long on advice from both his therapist and his attorney. He then noted that since no legal action is being taken against him, he can now address the accusations against him.
“Since no legal action is being taken, I’m going to address them in this video,” Ryan said. He continued to deny individual allegations made against him.
“I have never had sex with a woman without her consent, I have never acted criminally towards a woman and I have never acted criminally with sex and unlike these allegations, I have actual evidence that can show you that,” Ryan continued.
Ryan continued to say he has text messages and other evidence that can refute all the allegations being made against him.
He then spends a good deal of time dealing with individual allegations and issuing evidence to refute claims. Most of the evidence Ryan shows to refute the claims are DMs or text messages from his accusers.
Possible Legal Response From Joey Ryan
Ryan ended the video talking about having lost friends to the allegations and people not even reaching out to him. He said many people said they couldn’t believe the allegations against him and Ryan said that’s because the allegations are not true.
Ryan also noted that he lost a job with Impact Wrestling because of the allegations. He also said that Impact said they would investigate the claims but never did and his contract stated he could not be fired for things that took place before he signed there.
“These are all things that I still have to consider and I’m still thinking about and considering all the legal recourse I have to take with any of these accusations but for right now I want to continue to work on myself and focus on myself because I believe we can all be better people.”
“I’ve also taken this opportunity to reconnect with God. I’ve always been a believer but a very, very dear friend of mine in the industry has reached out to me to remind me that being a believer is much different than being a follower. I can’t help but think that God has put this on my journey because I was going down a bad path and I had fallen away too far away from him.”
A new Being the Elite episode was released a day late this week. When the episode was posted yesterday, it included notes in its description that state they are in the process of taking down episodes that feature “an accused serial sexual abuser.”
Joey Ryan was, at one point, a person regularly featured on Being the Elite. Ryan has been accused of sexual misconduct by numerous parties online as part of the #SpeakingOut movement.
“Hi guys and girls. We hope this video provides an escape, or even maybe makes you laugh during these tough times,” the video’s description reads.
The statement continues to refer to an accused serial sexual abuser.
“We love you all. Out of respect to the victims, we have began the process of taking down BTE videos which featured an accused serial sexual abuser. Our biggest regret is providing a platform unknowingly to such a despicable person. Our hearts go out to the victims and anyone else affected.”
Reports are that friends of Ryan’s have been in shock about the recent allegations. Ryan was a key figure in the Being the Elite series leading up to All In. He was involved in a storyline with Hangman Page where Page was believed to have killed Ryan at one point. This led to Ryan making a return at the All In PPV.
The 109th episode of Being the Elite which is said to have featured a funeral for Ryan has already been taken down.
Numerous reports and allegations have come out recently regarding Joey Ryan. He has been accused of sexual misconduct from various parties as part of the #SpeakingOut hashtag on Twitter. Joey Ryan is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he has been the head of the Cancel Culture faction.
According to a report from PW Insider, Impact will not be bringing Ryan back to the company for future events and tapings. They have yet to release an official statement on Ryan’s status, however.
The promotion previously released a statement that they were looking into allegations made against multiple members of their roster.
“It is a core value of the Anthem organization that we conduct our business with respect and integrity, providing a safe and secure work environment for our employees and performers. We are following carefully the various allegations being made through social media, and are reviewing all incidents involving Impact Wrestling talent and personnel to determine an appropriate course of action,” Anthem’s statement reads.
Ryan has deactivated his Twitter account following the release of a statement over the weekend.
The Twitter account for his Bar Wrestling promotion has also been deactivated. According to a report from the SoCal Uncensored website, the venue which hosted Ryan’s promotion has severed ties with him in the wake of the allegations. Video of Bar Wrestling events has also been removed from the Highspots Network.
Joey Ryan has issued a statement regarding the recent accusations made against him. Ryan has been accused of sexual misconduct online. He is one of many named as part of the #SpeakingOut movement.
Ryan’s statement reads as follows:
“I have been watching along with all of you as the #speakout movement has spread across the internet. I am also aware that my name has been mentioned as part of the discussion.”
His statement continued:
“I have been contemplating how to respond to everything that has unfolded in the last three days. This is an important topic and it truly deserves the time it is getting, even if it is uncomfortable.”
“After speaking with my attorney, I have been advised not to respond to any specific allegations at this time. And the truth of the matter is, I do not want to spend time dissecting which parts of stories are true, which parts are different from what I remember and which things being said are outright false. It is important for me to use this platform to take responsibility and not attempt to minimize the feelings of anyone that was hurt by me in order to save face.”
“So Instead, I would like to take this opportunity to share some parts of my private life with everyone. It is not a part of my life that I am proud of, but taking responsibility is important. Today, I must take responsibility for the way I behaved in the past, and I will do that right now.”
“As I am sure you are all aware, several years ago, and all in a very short period of time, a lot of things changed in my life. The ‘dick flip’ went viral. I started traveling the world and living a ‘rock n roll lifestyle.’ I came into contact with a lot of people, including women. And, the truth is, I did not always treat people with respect. And I will acknowledge that it was possible that I pursued people that I thought were interested in me and invaded their personal space and made them feel uncomfortable in the process.”
This dude is a lying sack of fucking shit, I used to be friends with Joey but the allegations him now and about to come out about him without an doubt are 100% true… https://t.co/5E9181Z7Ay
— “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) June 21, 2020
Joey Ryan’s Statement Cont’d
“Nearly two years ago, my ex-wife and I were separated. The separation impacted me greatly and I been to reflect on the person I had been previous to it, and the person that I wanted to be. During that self-reflection, I was not proud of what I saw. As a result, I entered counselling in October 2018 and still attend every week to this very day. I have been on prescription medication. I have worked every day for nearly two years to be a person that respects not only people’s boundaries, but respects people. If you felt that you were a person that I did not treat with respect, I apologize. Aside from this post, I have been reaching out to some of the people involved and we have had positive interactions and started the healing process.”
“I have worked hard to make wrestling a safe and welcoming place for everyone. I will make up for my shortcomings of the past by working harder in the future to continue to do that. With all of the different social movements happening right now, we need to take this opportunity to listen and learn and continue to strive every day to do better.”
Anthem Sports and Entertainment has released a statement regarding recent allegations made against several members of their roster. In the wake of the #SpeakingOut hashtag on Twitter, several wrestlers have been called out for inappropriate conduct.
The statement sent to media reads as follows:
“It is a core value of the Anthem organization that we conduct our business with respect and integrity, providing a safe and secure work environment for our employees and performers. We are following carefully the various allegations being made through social media, and are reviewing all incidents involving Impact Wrestling talent and personnel to determine an appropriate course of action.”
when i was still training i was 100% groomed and sent unwanted photos by dave crist but any time i spoke about it i felt like i didn’t have a voice because i was a 20 year old trainee or was laughed at because ‘hE sHoWs EvErYoNe HiS dIcK’.
Who wants to see Mike Elgins dick pic? I still have the convo, unwanted photo, and emails he tried to send me under a fake name in 2016. @JordynneGrace tried to help me bring this to light when his first scandal came out but the wrestling media didn't care #SpeakingOut
For the last two days, several wrestlers have been speaking out about sexual misconduct and other offenses rampant in pro-wrestling. They are using the #SpeakingOut hashtag on Twitter.
Former Impact Wrestling referee, Kris Levin (aka Kid Ref) also posted a statement online. According to Levin, he was released from his position with Impact shortly after making statements to a 3rd party regarding an investigation into sexual harassment. He also noted that the company “ghosted” him after the meeting. TNA World Champion Moose then issued a response.
Impact Wrestling presented its first show since Hard to Kill on AXS TV and Twitch last night. The show featured a sit-down interview with the new Impact World Champion, Tessa Blanchard.
Impact Wrestling 1/14/20 Quick Results:
The Desi Hit Squad defeated Reno Scum, TJP & Daga, and the Rascalz (Wentz & Dez) – fatal 4-way tag match. (taped at Hard to Kill)
Joey Ryan defeated Johnny Swinger (taped at Hard to Kill)
X-Division Championship Ace Austin defeated Moose, Eddie Edwards, and Fallah Bah – fatal 4-way match. (taped at House of Hardcore)
Here are 5 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/14/20:
Sami Callihan Threatens Tessa Blanchard
Losing the Impact World Championship might not be sitting well with the already unstable Sami Callihan. Tessa Blanchard’s sit-down interview this week was interrupted by a video message from Callihan.
Highlights of Blanchard’s title win was shown as well as clips of the entire locker room coming out to celebrate with her after the PPV ended. Blanchard then sat down with Josh Mathews and spoke about the importance of her title victory. That’s when Sami Callihan interrupted.
Calihan’s video panned out and revealed he was somewhere in the same studio Blanchard was. When Blanchard went looking for Callihan, however, a new video was shown. This video featured Callihan telling Blanchard that when he gets revenge, she will never see him coming.
RVD, His Girlfriend and His Girlfriend’s Girlfriend Celebrate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzk2moM8iNQ
RVD defeated both Brian Cage and Daga at Hard to Kill. He held a celebration with his girlfriend and his girlfriends’ girlfriend in a hotel room this week. RVD noted that Forbes and her girlfriend weren’t even born yet during ECW’s heyday. RVD also noted that wrestling nowadays is basically a tribute show to him, with everyone doing his moves.
Eventually, the celebration got so steamy that the Impact Plus app had to cut in with a clip of the Deaners as “the Hard Workers” from the retro show they did a few weeks back.
Joey Ryan Gives Johnny Swinger His Comeuppance
Joey Ryan and Johnny Swinger met in single’s action this week. This match stemmed from the epic Wrestlers Court segment a few weeks back. Then last week, Tommy Dreamer caught Swinger trying to put somas in Ryan’s water. Dreamer eventually forced Swinger to drink the soma water instead.
Swinger hurt himself in this match when he attempted to deliver a headbutt to Ryan’s groin. Ryan then hit a penis suplex on Swinger but Swinger grabbed the referee during the move, taking him out momentarily. Ryan would then pick up the win with a lollipop assisted superkick.
Ace Austin Retains X-Division Title In Fatal 4-Way From House of Hardcore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l1h6rtySb0
Ace Austin was in tough this week. He had to defend his title in a fatal 4-way match against Eddie Edwards, Moose and Fallah Bah. The match was filmed at a recent House of Hardcore event.
The end of the match came when Edwards took Moose out with the Boston Knee Party. Edwards was then leveled with a powerbomb by Fallah Bah leaving Austin and Bah as the only two wrestlers standing. Austin then hit Bah with the Fold from up top for the win.
It is not clear if Trey’s mother was watching. Trey still has a grudge against the X-Division champion, however.
Desi Hit Squad Pick Up A Big Tag Win
A fatal 4-way tag match kicked off this week’s episode of Impact. The match was taped from the Bomb Factory at Hard to Kill on Sunday but did not air on the PPV. It was noted on commentary that TJP normally teams with Fallah Bah but as Bah has another match scheduled on the show, Daga as his replacement partner in this match.
Rohit Raju and Mahabali Shera picked up the win for their stable this week after a Sky High. Josh Mathews noted on commentary that the win likely puts the Desi Hit Squad in a position to challenge for the Impact tag team championships.
Joey Ryan was drawing interest from companies like AEW and
WWE in 2019 but he chose to stick with independent wrestling and later signed a
contract with Impact Wrestling.
His signing with Impact turned many heads due to the other
offers he had and during the media scrum ahead of the Hard To Kill PPV, the
indie star explained the reason behind his signing with the promotion.
Ryan first explained that he ‘loves’ independent wrestling
and the fact that Impact offered him a non-exclusive deal was probably the most
appealing part of their offer:
“The fact that Impact offered me a deal that was non-exclusive, and I could still do the independent scene, that was probably the most appealing part to it. I don’t think I ever want to give that up. I’m exclusive, as far as national television … which meant I can still do a lot of the independents that I really, really enjoy.”
Later in the interview, Joey Ryan was also asked about his
dream opponents in Impact and while he didn’t take any names, the Impact star
showed interest in wrestling some knockouts.
He explained that he has done a lot of intergender wrestling
and since Impact really embraces intergender wrestling, he would like to do
some stuff with Knockouts in the Knockouts Division.
Impact Wrestling 12/10 emanated from New York’s Melrose Ballroom and aired last night on AXS TV and Twitch. The show featured Sami Callihan and Tessa Blanchard each picking their rival’s opponents as we count down to their title match at Hard to Kill.
Here are 10 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 12/10:
OVE Tries To Soften Up Tessa Blanchard
Tessa Blanchard defeated Madman Fulton via DQ
With Hard to Kill just a little over a month away, OVE tried to soften up Tessa Blanchard here. Callihan selected Madman Fulton to take on Blanchard in single’s action this week. Just when it looked like Blanchard had things going her way, however, the Crist brothers ran in and caused the DQ.
OVE tried to soften up Blanchard but Ken Shamrock made the save, setting up the night’s main event between him and Callihan.
Madman Fulton Takes Out Ken Shamrock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW4DTkYWEoQ
Sami Callihan defeated Ken Shamrock via referee stoppage
Tessa Blanchard chose Ken Shamrock to take on Sami Callihan in the night’s main event. Shamrock had Callihan tapping to his ankle lock submission but Callihan’s minions from OVE came down to make the save. Madman Fulton took out Shamrock and allowed Callihan to lock in his own ankle lock on Shamrock. With Shamrock knocked out, the ref called for the bell and awarded the match to Sami.
Fulton wasn’t finished there, however. He kept up the attack after the match until Callihan had to call his monster off. Could we be building to a showdown between Fulton and Shamrock?
Joey Ryan Goes To Wrestlers Court
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH5FKsjrhyo
Joey Ryan found guilty of breaking kayfabe, exposing the business, and killing towns.
Impact presented quite the little comedic sketch last night featuring Joey Ryan being taken to “Wrestlers Court.” This really needs to be seen in its entirety to be fully appreciated.
The short of this sketch is that Johnny Swinger took Joey Ryan to wrestlers court on charges of “breaking kayfabe, killing towns, and exposing the business.” Swinger was asking for “2 pay envelopes and a handfull of pizzills” as compensation.
Tommy Dreamer served as the judge for the trial and eventually found Joey Ryan guilty. It took quite a bit of hijinx to get there, however. Dreamer sentenced Ryan to face Ace Romero next week.
Rich Swann Wins Tag Team Open On His Own
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4XCdrLpwfc
Last night a tag team open was held to determine who will face the North at Hard to Kill. Heading into the match, Rich Swann & Willie Mack were considered strong favorites but an injury to Mack would take him out of the match early. Mack clutched at his knee on the outside and was taken to the back.
Swann overcame the odds, however, and scored the win with a victory roll on Dave Crist.
After Swann’s win, the North was shown in the back debating if they should head to the ring and take Swann out. Page told Alexander they were going to do things “his way” and the team opted not to run-in.
Rob Van Dam Defeats Rhino, Takes Shot At Brian Cage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k75Xb26XN58
It was a big night for Rob Van Dam. He defeated Rhino in the opening match but not without a little help from Katie Forbes. It appeared as though Rhino had the match won but Forbes pulled out referee Tommy Dreamer before he could make the 3-count. RVD would later come back and win the match with a 5-star frog splash. Just for good measure, RVD delivered a kick to Dreamer after the match as well.
Later in the night, however, as Brian Cage was being interviewed in the back, RVD and Forbes took their celebration party to the same couch Cage was being interviewed on. RVD and Forbes eventually decided to leave but not before taking a shot at Brian Cage for stealing his moves and getting pinned by Tessa Blanchard in the #1 contenders elimination match recently.
Moose took a break from being a multi-sport athlete this week to step back inside a wrestling ring. He took on the newly signed Ace Romero this week and got all he could handle including a pounce from Acey baby that sent him across the venue.
A match between Eddie Edwards and Michael Elgin was announced for Hard to Kill this week. Elgin interfered in Edwards’ match with Brian Cage last week.
Edwards won the battle royal at Bound for Glory which earned him the right to challenge for any title. Elgin challenged Edwards to put that right on the line in their match at Hard to Kill.
TJP Saves Fallah Bah From Desi Hit Squad Beatdown
Fallah Bah defeated Raj Singh with Bonzai drop this week on Impact. The rest of the Desi Hit Squad would hit the ring after the match, however, and attempt to deliver a beatdown to Bah.
TJP made the save for his friend, however, and cleared the ring of Gama Singh’s faction.
After being thrown over a staircase in a noose by Havok, Su Yung has had some lapses in her memory. Father James Mitchell is taking advantage of this fact and appears to be manipulating Yung in some way. Rosemary doesn’t like this.
This week, Yung noticed a noose flung over a door and it seemed to trigger some memories. Mitchell got her away from there before she could remember too much, however.
Ken Shamrock has opened up about how he was convinced into taking Joey Ryan’s infamous flipping spot. He took the flip during a recent episode of Impact Wrestling.
Speaking with WINCLY, Shamrock recounted the conversations leading up to his gradual agreement to participate.
“At first, I was like, ‘no’. Then I started thinking about it and thought it would be a great match,” he said. “It was something that most people didn’t think would happen. So, I jumped in with both feet and it would be something fun for the fans. I even ran it by my kids to see what they thought and they were thumbs up.”
He added, “I wanted to kick it around [in my head] because anytime I do something that might be controversial, I wanna run it by my family. I wanna make sure they are gonna be understanding and it’s not gonna be anything that will hurt them.”
Shamrock added how he was “pleasantly surprised” working with Ryan, noting that he’s a great person with a unique gimmick that people are loving. He considered it an exciting opportunity to wrestle Ryan, stressing that the most important thing to him is that people appreciate what he’s doing in the ring.
After declining offers from both WWE and AEW, famous indie
wrestler Joey Ryan has decided to sign a multi-year contract with Impact
Wrestling.
The news was reported by SoCal Uncensored and the wrestling star was quick to confirm these reports via a tweet, saying that the decision made the most sense:
As Joey revealed in the tweet above, the Impact contract
allows him to continue working in the independent circuit and continue playing
the character he has developed in the last several years.
Joey has already made his first appearance for the company under the new contract and he made a surprise appearance at the Bound For Glory PPV during the 20-Person Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match.
It’s worth mentioning here that this is not the first time
Joey Ryan is working with Impact as he has previously worked for the company
from 2012 to 2013.
He made his Impact debut back in May 2012. He faced opponents like Rob Van Dam, Austin Aries, and Joseph Park during his time in the company before being released from his contract in July 2013.
Apart from Impact, he has also worked for companies such as
NWA, Lucha Underground and ROH and made some appearances for WWE as well.
Impact Wrestling 9/20 emanated from Mexico City, Mexico and featured the last match in Impact for LAX. They faced Willie Mack & Rich Swann in the main event.
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 9/20.
LAX Wrestle Their Last Match For Impact Wrestling
Santana and Ortiz are off to AEW after having dominated the Impact tag team division. They are the longest-reigning Impact tag champs of all time and finished off their careers in the promotion by dropping this week’s main event to Willie Mack and Rich Swann.
Following the match, the locker room emptied out to celebrate LAX. The segment closed with Santana and Ortiz being hoisted on the shoulders of the Impact roster.
Joey Ryan Debuts As Stripper At Melissa Santos Bachelorette Party
A bachelorette party was thrown backstage for Melissa Santos this week. It looked as though the police had been called to break it up but it turns out the officer at the door was really a male stripper fans will recognize as Joey Ryan.
Brian Cage Cheats During His Bachelor Party
Cheating like @MrGMSI_BCage has never cheated before!
Brian Cage’s bachelor party with Rich Swann and Tommy Dreamer was less eventful. Cage had commented on how he was looking forward to “cheating” at the party but turns out he was just commenting on eating cheat meals on his diet.
Tessa Blanchard & the Hardcore Legends Defeat OVE
Impact Wrestling kicked off this week with an 8-person street fight. OVE took on Tessa Blanchard, Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, and Rob Van dam. In the end, Rhino would gore Jake Crist through a table and Tessa Blanchard would make him submit to a kendo stick assisted cross face.
Sami Callihan probably has his sights set on October 20th in Chicago against Brian Cage, he might still have some unfinished business with Tessa Blanchard, however.
Havok Attempted To Murder Su Yung
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKjwXMPI1zQ
Havok defeated Su Yung in a no disqualification match this week. She picked up the win after a tombstone piledriver but the end of the match didn’t mean the end of the fight. Yung kept fighting with her rival after the match and the two brawled all the way to the back.
As they brawled into a stairwell, Havok then wrapped a noose around Yung’s neck and tossed her over the railing. Josh Matthews would let fans know after the commercial break that Yung had been taken to hospital.
Medical staff were later shown to be unable to revive Yung. She would come back to life, however.
Alisha Edwards May Have The Wrong Opinion Of Ace Austin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqFv4zg7ppg
Ace Austin has stated on impact wrestling that he is out to “bang” Eddie Edwards’ wife Alisha. This week Austin showed up to Impact in a wheelchair after the beating he was given by Edwards last week. He told Alisha he wanted to be there to support her during her match with Taya Valkyrie.
During the match, Austin made dramatic recovery and was able to fend of John E Bravo who was attempting to interfere. The assistance didn’t work, however, as Taya still won the match. After, Austin fell out of his wheelchair while trying to applaud Alisha’s efforts. He must have seemed so noble to her.
The Rascalz Prepare For Trios Action At Bound For Glory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAP8iKptonw
The Rascals will be involved in trios action at Bound for Glory in Chicago next month. They will take on Dr. Wagner Jr. and his two teammates to be named later. This week, Dez, Trey, and Wentz got to practice some of their trios moves as they defeated the team of Ares, Toxin & Australian Suicide.
The Desi Hit Squad At Their Strongest?
The Desi Hit Squad are at their strongest ever with the return to Impact Wrestling of Mahabali Shera. Shera defeated the Desi Hit Squad’s rival Cody Deaner in singles action this week. The days of the Deanersembarassing the Great Gama Singh’s faction appear to be over.
Quick Results:
Street Fight Tessa Blanchard, Rhino, Rob Van Dam, & Tommy Dreamer defeated OVE
Taya Valkyrie defeated Alisha Edwards
The Rascalz defeated Ares, Toxin & Australian Suicide
Havok defeated Su Yung – No DQ
Rich Swann & Willie Mack defeated LAX
Next Week:
This Friday at 10p.m. ET on @PursuitChannel & @Twitch:
WWE is known to invade rosters of indie companies and with the rise of AEW, things are only going to get hard for independent promotions. It only increases competition and makes it hard for smaller companies to keep their top talents.
During his recent appearance on Talk Is Jericho podcast, one
of the early founders of the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla promotion, Joey Ryan
talked about a number of things and discussed the impact AEW and WWE will have
on PWG’s roster in future.
Ryan explained that it could affect PWG in theory but claimed that wrestling just roles with punches. He said that if you take all these top guys off the market, it gives the opportunity to the other guys to step up and become stars.
Joey then gave the example of Adam Cole saying that MJF
stepped up after Cole got signed to WWE and maybe the opportunities wouldn’t
have been as prevalent if the current NXT Champion was still around.
Continuing on the topic, the indie star said that promotions have definitely taken a hit because those guys are established stars but he thinks that it’s not the end of the world for independent wrestling.
Apart from this, Joey Ryan also talked about ROH talents working PWG shows, his run with TNA in 2013 and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.
Joey Ryan has been teasing a big announcement regarding his future. According to a report by news site SoCalUncensored, Ryan has turned down an offer to join All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
“We have confirmed with multiple sources that Joey Ryan has turned down a contract offer from All Elite Wrestling,” the report reads.
The news is surprising, since Ryan appears regularly on Being The Elite and had a memorable role at All In last September.
“Everything will be answered Thursday,” Ryan said regarding his status.
The official word regarding his future will be told Bar Wrestling’s Pickle Jar Hero show later this week.
Ryan is reported to have turned down a WWE offer recently as well.
“(WWE) asked if he was willing to move to Orlando, wrestle a few years there and then move into a coaching position,” wrote Dave Meltzer last month regarding Ryan.
The report continued to say Ryan would have accepted the offer earlier in his career. At 39, however, Ryan is not looking to take a pay cut to start in WWE.
Free agent wrestler Joey Ryan has reportedly been drawing interest from WWE. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has been in contact with Ryan about possibly joining the company.
“(WWE) asked if he was willing to move to Orlando, wrestle a few years there and then move into a coaching position,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
The report continues to say that no official offer was made, however. It was also said that Ryan would have accepted WWE’s offer if he was 10 years younger but at 39 taking a pay cut to start with WWE was not as appealing.
As of this writing, Ryan is still a free agent following his release from Lucha Underground last month.
Ryan has been a featured character on the Young Bucks’ “Being the Elite” YouTube series. He has not signed with AEW but continues to play a role in BTE storylines.
Ryan was also involved in a featured storyline heading into All In last fall. In BTE storyline, Ryan was left for dead by Hangman Page, resulting in the latter being investigated for the former’s murder during several episodes. Ryan then made a dramatic return at All In to confront Page.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBKRE8z_pA8
As of late on BTE, a noticeably irritable Ryan is frequently being asked what happened to the girl he used to hang around? Ryan also has nobody around to prevent him from frequent beatings.
As noted earlier, famous dick wrestler Joey Ryan is among the performers who are finally free from their Lucha Underground contracts.
Lucha Underground’s contracts were very prohibitive and restricted where talent could work, despite the fact that they haven’t taped TV in a year and there has been no word on a fifth season.
After filing a lawsuit againstBaba-G Productions and the El Rey Network, Joey Ryan is now free agents able to work wherever he pleases.
On Tuesday afternoon, Joey Ryan released the following statement about the ordeal. He thanked fans for their support and sounds very optimistic about his future.
“It’s Official.
I am now a free agent. Free from ay contracts. Free from any bosses. Free from any restrictions. The last few years of my career haven’t been without highlights (being featured in many major media outlets, becoming a top seller on Pro Wrestling Tees, shocking the world at All In, Main Eventing the Cow Palace, a role on GLOW, the growth of Bar Wrestling) but now it honestly feels like I have a new lease on my direction and where I’m going in pro wrestling. Most of my accomplishments have been fan driven due to the overwhelming support I have recived so I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of the fans who have accompanied me on this journey so far and hope you will continue on the adventure.
– Joey Ryan”
Now the question is, where will Joey Ryan “pop up” next ?
We noted before how Joey Ryan and several others superstars had joined forces and filed a lawsuit against Baba-G Productions and the El Rey Network, the respective production company and broadcasting network for Lucha Underground.
These stars were seeking release from their Lucha Underground contracts. Now Lucha Central is reporting that El Hijo del Fantasma, Ivelisse, Joey Ryan, and Kobra Moon all have been granted their release from the promotion, as part of the lawsuit settlement.
The Lucha Underground contract prohibited them from working
with many other wrestling companies, despite the fact that there has been no
news about a fifth season of the show.
To make matters worse, the wrestlers were only paid for the episodes they appeared in. Since most of the talents were paid less than $1000 per appearance, they made less than $4000 a year with the promotion while stars working for other companies make a living wage, usually starting from around $50,000 a year.
Though now as part of the settlement, they have been
released with immediate effect and all 4 of the stars are free to negotiate and
sign new deals with any other promotion.
Out of these 4, Joey Ryan is very likely to sign with AEW.
There is no news on what the other stars are planning for their future but the
belief is that Fantasma will be courted by WWE now that he is free from his
contract.
When you have Priscilla Kelly and Joey Ryan in the ring at the same time, something like this is bound to happen.
At the Quintessential Pro Wrestling event last night in Las Vegas, Nevada, Joey Ryan faced off against Priscilla Kelly in an inter-gender match.
During the match, Ryan performed an airplane spin on Kelly, and of course, it made her dizzy to the point of vomiting. She pulled Ryan’s trunks and proceeded to vomit all over his crotch – much to the amusement of the fans present.
There’s not a lot to write about and we can’t really say that we didn’t see something like this coming. You can check out the video below:
Priscilla Kelly came on everyone’s radar in January when she did the infamous tampon spot. If you are unaware then it is exactly what it sounds like – she took a tampon from her ring gear and shoved it down her opponent’s throat. The footage went viral and even got attention from mainstream media.
Kelly is proud of her work and says that controversial spots like these don’t worry her about blowing off chances of working with companies like WWE.
Lucha Underground has been under fire recently, with wrestlers and talent taking to social media in order to voice and vent their frustrations.
In a recent addition to this story, it appears that Lucha Underground wrestler, King Cuerno (aka El Hijo de Fantasma) has filed a legal dispute against El Rey Network and the promotions production company, Baba-G Productions, over his contract. The report comes via Pro Wrestling Sheet.
The dispute argues that Cuerno’s contract “illegally restricts” wrestlers from being able to find work with other companies is in violation of California law.
Documents obtained by Pro Wrestling Sheet highlight the monetary side of Lucha Underground’s business practices. It appears that wrestlers under contract make money solely based on the shows they appear on, with a payment of “usually less than $1,000” per episode.
“Most wrestlers under a Lucha Underground contract make less than $4,000 a year. Wrestlers working for other wrestling promotions make a living wage, usually starting around $50,000 a year and entering either 6 or 7 figures.”
Cuerno is claiming that he has missed out on a huge amount of potential earnings to his contract. He also says he has lost an opportunity with another company.
According to Cuerno’s attorney, his office has filed a “class action to invalidate certain portions of their contracts that we believe are illegal.” Ivelisse, Joey Ryan, and Kobra Moon are three of the wrestlers supposedly included in this class action lawsuit.
Multiple wrestlers from Lucha Underground have filed a class action lawsuit against the El Rey Network and Baba-G Productions. According to a report from Lucha Central, Joey Ryan, Ivelisse, and Thunder Rosa are the complainants in the lawsuit.
Pro Wrestling Sheet broke the story earlier today that Fantasma has also filed suit against El Rey. In the case of Fantasma, however, he is not seeking his release.
Lucha Underground Stars Seek Release From Contracts
Andre Verdun, the lawyer for the complainants and former luchador himself, spoke to Lucha Central about the suits. He mentioned that he has been assisting wrestlers from Lucha Underground to get releases from their contracts.
“Until now, everyone that I assisted has been released without the need for litigation,” Verdun said. “Lucha Underground appears to be pushing back in midst of what appears to be a mass exodus by their top stars if they can get their release.”
Verdun would continue to say that in the case of Fantasma, he is not seeking a release but rather compensation.
“(Fantasma’s) lawsuit is not a tactic to get his release,” Verdun continued. “It is just a lawsuit saying essentially, ‘Had you not used this legal contract to prevent me from taking these other opportunities, I would have made money, and therefore you should compensate me’.”
Verdun then clarified more details about the lawsuit involving Joey Ryan, Ivelisse, and Kobra Moon. He also clarified further it had initially been incorrectly reported that Fantasma’s lawsuit was to seek a release from the company.
“My office filed as a class action to invalidate certain portions of their contracts that we believe are illegal,” Verdun said. “There are several wrestlers that have signed onto that lawsuit, others that have reached out requesting to join. So that lawsuit actually seeks to do what it I saw reported that Fantasma’s lawsuit is attempting to accomplish. I am sure it was reported that way because so many people have been searching for help in getting released.”
The full interview with Andre Verdun can be read here.