Joey Ryan was one of the biggest stars to have his career ruined by the Speaking Out Movement.
He was a champion all across the US and Great Britain before 2020, holding titles in promotions like PWG, CWfH and Attack! Pro Wrestling.
Ryan was one of the top stars in TNA (then-Impact Wrestling) in 2020, and was one of the most popular stars outside AEW and WWE. While his gimmick of an overtly sexual, sleazy wrestler was a marmite gimmick, it appealed to a number of fans.
He was a key part of the original All In event, and seemed destined for stardom in wrestling.
But then, his alleged crimes came to light.
Joey Ryan Was Accused As Part Of The Speaking Out Movement
Joey Ryan had some of the most accusations levied towards him during the Speaking Out movement. At least 17 separate women accused him of various levels of sexual assault, prompting various promotions to cease working with him.
One anonymous Twitter user accused him of attempting to take off her pants, despite her saying no. He then used her hand as an aid, even though he already had a partner.
“He wouldn’t leave. He started to touch my shoulders and kiss my arms. I felt paralyzed. I told him no and kept pushing him away. He didn’t stop. This kept on for a while until I felt my mind zone out of what was happening. He tried to take off my pants.”
“I told him no. I was holding onto them trying to keep them on. He still tried to take them off. Eventually, he stopped trying and just took off his. I was terrified if I screamed or fought him he would do something more severe or say something bad about me […]”
“He was on top of me. I wouldn’t make eye contact with him. I felt like I couldn’t speak. I quietly muttered that I didn’t want to hurt him [her partner]. He didn’t stop. He grabbed my limp hand, and made me grab his privates. He used my limp hand as a masturbation tool. I stared at the wall wanting it to end. I was completely numb and felt like I couldn’t move or speak.”
Other accusations came from a variety of women. This includes wrestlers Elayna Black, Allie Kat and Alex Gracia.
He Addressed All The Claims In A Video
While there were so, so many allegations, Joey Ryan decide to try and fight them all.
A month after the allegations came to light, with advice from his therapist and lawyer, Joey Ryan addressed all the allegations against him. He did this in an hour-long video posted to YouTube in July 2020, where he discussed splitting from his wife and attending therapy.
He went in hard, early, denying ever acting criminally or having sex without consent. He said;
“I do want to make one thing clear: 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.”
Given that no evidence can logically prove you have never done something, unless he filmed all of his sexual encounters, this is a hard claim to believe.
Joey Ryan then addressed each allegation one by one, attempting to debunk them all. This seemed a fair way to go ahead, as we had only heard one side of the story up until this point.
A number of wrestlers and non-wrestlers accused Ryan of various things. He went through them one-by-one, saying:
- Joey stated that the woman who accused him of pursuing her while engaged never mentioned having a fiancé or boyfriend when she came to Los Angeles.
- In response to a fan’s claim of inappropriate behavior at a merch table, Ryan denied the accusation.
- Addressing an allegation of assault in a wedding bathroom, Joey described the encounter as consensual and shared that the woman continued to seek dates with him afterward.
- Concerning Danielle Matheson’s claims, Joey acknowledged confiding in her and sharing a hotel room but presented messages indicating mutual consent and her initiation.
- For an anonymous claim of non-consensual behavior in a hotel room, Joey maintained that the encounter was consensual and stopped when the situation became uncomfortable.
- Regarding another anonymous accusation of hotel room misconduct, Joey asserted that it was consensual but regrettable due to its impact on their friendship.
- Joey denied all allegations from wrestler Elayna Black, providing their message history as evidence.
- In response to claims about booking a girl on her 18th birthday with ulterior motives, Joey stated it was part of a storyline and respected her boundaries when she declined further advances.
- Joey addressed Alex Gracia’s accusations of inappropriate behavior, apologizing for misreading her intentions and sharing their non-sexual message exchanges.
- Joey criticized wrestler Allie Kat’s implications of assault, claiming their encounter was consensual and collaborative in the ring.
- He refuted claims from the “Not Your Demo” podcast participants, asserting that he apologized immediately when they expressed discomfort.
- Joey expressed that he didn’t remember an incident of alleged inappropriate behavior in a car but apologized to the woman involved.
- Regarding the UK ring announcer’s claim, Joey didn’t recall the incident but apologized for any discomfort caused.
- Joey responded to Vanessa Kraven’s accusations by pointing to mutual flirting and a shared kiss.
- In response to Jetta’s claims, Joey admitted to a drunken advance but said he respected her refusal and denied trying to enter her hotel room.
- Joey acknowledged flirting with an underage girl at a bar but stated he stopped upon learning her age.
- Addressing his ex-girlfriend Victoria’s claims, Joey explained that their intimate activities were consensual and aligned with her requests, attributing her current accusations to their difficult breakup.
This response did not stop companies like PWG and TNA dropping Joey Ryan. He hasn’t wrestled since 2020, wrestling his last ever match against Crazzy Steve in TNA in June 2020, weeks before the accusation.
Joey Ryan Left Wrestling To Work At Disneyland
Joey Ryan has not been seen in a wrestling ring for quite some time, and many wrestling fans were not aware of what he was doing with his life since being black balled from the industry.
However, a recent photo has brought to light the new career in which the former PWG World Champion has found himself in. While he may not be able to get booked as a wrestler any more, he has still found work in the entertainment industry in recent years.
Twitter user @Mr_GQ_Cantu snapped a photo of a man presumed to be Joey Ryan at Disneyland Florida. The Tweet said that Ryan was working as a handler on the Jungle Cruise ride, a far cry from having a huge return at All In to attack AEW star “Hangman Adam Page”
“Just incase anyone wanted a Joey Ryan update, he’s working as a handler at the Jungle Cruise attraction in Disney Land. Not joking lol” The Twitter said, apparently mocking Ryan and his new career.
Joey Ryan remains out of wrestling and has long been thought of as not a good fir for AEW. Tony Khan is reportedly not a fan of the wrestler, whose “penis druids” were the most embarrassing part of the show at the famous “All In” event in August 2018.
If you want to read about more wrestlers who were impacted by the Speaking Out movement, click here!
