Mariah May and Gabe Kidd were at the centre of a heated controversy that has divided the wrestling world.
Mariah May became one of the many voices to speak out during the Speaking Out movement, accusing Sid Scala of bullying, manipulation, and abuse.
However, her bravery in sharing her story was met with a scathing attack from Gabe Kidd, a close ally of Scala. Kidd’s defence of Scala and harsh criticism of May sparked a public feud that ignited fierce debates about accountability, mental health, and the complex dynamics within the wrestling community.
This article dives into the fallout from the accusations and the consequences of Kidd’s controversial response.
Mariah May Accused Sid Scala As Part Of Speaking Out
It may be a shock to many that Mariah May was one of the women who spoke out during the infamous Speaking Out movement in British wrestling.
While she is a big star now, at the time she was a smaller name in the business and was still finding her way in the wrestling business. Sid Scala was a well-known name and was signed to WWE at the time, which made her speaking-out statement all the more courageous.
In a long and detailed statement on social media, Mariah May laid out the bullying, manipulation and abuse she suffered from Sid Scala. She was trained by him but was discouraged from wrestling outside of his shows, claiming she would ruin her chances of making it in the WWE.
She also detailed how he told her to break up with her boyfriend, getting increasingly angry at her over the course of their relationship as trainer and student. She was controlled for over a year before finally realising what was happening and getting out.
It is a harrowing read but one that needs to be read. Sadly, there is no report of any investigation being done by WWE into Scala’s conduct and he denied all of the claims against him. He even sought legal action against Mariah May, forcing her to set up crowdfunding to pay for her legal defence.
Luckily, this never went to court and she has since moved on with her career, becoming the top heel in the AEW Women’s division and is a former AEW Women’s World Champion.
Meanwhile, Scala was removed from TV once NXT UK shut down and remained employed by the WWE until he was let go in 2024. While he has wrestled occasionally outside of WWE since his release, the accusations seem to have followed him in his career.
Gabe Kidd Attacked Mariah May To Defend Sid Scala
After the accusations made towards Sid Scala, Gabe Kidd launched a scathing attack on Mariah May to defend the former NXT UK star.
In February 2022, Gabe Kidd posted an expletive-laden Tweet reference Mariah May, accusing her of ruining the life of Sid Scala with her accusations.
“You don’t know her you stupid twat.” Gabe Kidd replied to a Twitter user in a now-deleted Tweet.
“She has ruined peoples lives. That’s not my story to tell or yours so stop acting like a fucking victim when you DON’T KNOW THESE PEOPLE. YOU’RE NOT LISTENING.”
Now, he does make a good point in that nobody knows what happened between Mariah May and Sid Scala besides the two people involved.
People shouldn’t go online and endlessly speculate about people that they consider friends and accuse them of something they did or didn’t do.
But then Gabe Kidd then went on Twitter and accused somebody of “ruining people’s lives”, despite the fact that he cannot possibly know if they were true or not. He backed the side of the person accused of abuse, which is a controversial position to take at a time when numerous wrestlers were exposed to such alleged crimes.
Plus, it wasn’t just Mariah May who had things to say about Sid Scala. Three other wrestlers accused him of bullying. One person can be easily ignored but four victims should make you take a step back and have a look at the company you are keeping.
If you truly believe your friend then calling his accussor, who has the support of the public behind her, and saying she is ruining people’s lives, is not the way to go about it. Given the lack of backing Scala has had by the wider wrestling community, it does seem like Mariah May’s story is more trustworthy than Gabe Kidd’s Tweets.
Will Ospreay Tweeted That Gabe Kidd Was Going Through Mental Health Issues
This Twitter spat towards Mariah May from Gabe Kidd was the final straw in what was a tough mental health battle which Gabe Kidd desperately needed help with.
Will Ospreay took to Twitter following the episode as he reached out to the former WCPW wrestler. Ospreay was somewhat of a mentor for Gabe Kidd and had his best interests at heart, as he does for so many in the BritWres scene.
“Please do not engage with Gabriel Kidd on social media. This a serious matter that is being handled, contact has been made. Please back off and respect his privacy.” Will Ospreay Tweeted.
Gabe Kidd removed his posts once contacted and was helped by the wider wrestling community, including Will Ospreay.
Gabe Kidd later explained that at that time he was struggling with his mental health. The English star was coming to the end of his time in the New Japan Dojo and 18 months of hard work had all hit him at once.
He took an extended break from wrestling, with many not knowing if he’d ever come back. Luckily he did, joining the Bully Club and becoming the top gaijin in the company by 2025.
Whether he still backs Sid Scala or Mariah May is another thing and one we won’t speculate on. All we can do is report the facts and let you, the reader, make your own conclusion on what the truth is between Sid Scala, Mariah May and Gabe Kidd.
Will Ospreay was accused as part of Speaking Out, which you can read more about here
