JD McDonagh was accused of physical and sexual abuse during the Speaking Out Movement in 2020.
The movement saw a number of wrestlers, namely in the British wrestling scene, being accused of various levels of sexual misconduct to their fellow female wrestlers.
This included some of the top stars in the UK indie scene.
Wrestlers like Marty Scurll and David Starr had their careers ended by the allegations, and have yet to return to the business as full-time wrestlers.
Current WWE star JD McDonagh, who was then known as Jordan Devlin, was also indicted in the Speaking Out movement.
JD McDonagh Was Accused Of Abusing An Ex-Partner
During the summer of 2020, JD McDonagh was accused of physically abusing an ex-girlfriend in a social media post.
Hannah Francesca posted a series of Tweets, accompanied by some graphic photos. She wrote that she was “really scared”, after posting a series of bruises covering her legs.
She said “Jordan Devlin did this to me”, before hinting that there was more than just physical damage done by the Irishman.
“This is scary. I’m really scared. Jordan Devlin did this to me. And this is just the physical damage. Not including my arse and back bruises…because I don’t fancy posting that online.”
These Tweets came shortly after David Starr had been accused of various levels of abuse. He was stripped of his OTT title and suspended from all other promotions.
McDonagh was sanctioned by Progress after these allegations. He and Travis Banks, another NXT UK star, were both suspended by the company for the accusations levied towards them.
He was stripped of his Progress Tag Team titles. As of 2024, JD McDonagh has yet to wrestle in Progress again.
He Completely Denied Any And All Allegations
After the allegations came out, the former Jordan Devlin took to Twitter. He denied the accusation, calling them “completely and utterly false”. He accused his ex-partner having a “malicious personal agenda” against him, before invoking the use of a legal team to plan his next move.
JD McDonagh said:
“I didn’t even want to address the hurtful allegations made against me, but for the sake of my followers and friends on this platform that may whatever reason be unsure, I’m going to address this once.”
“The recent allegation made against me is completely and utterly false and I deny it entirely. This is a case of a malicious personal agenda being executed against me on the back of a very brave telling of true experiences by other women. I completely denounce it.”
“This is all I will say on the matter, and I am now working with a legal team to help decided how to proceed from here.”
McDonagh Remained In WWE And Became A Part Of Judgement Day
JD McDonagh was signed to the WWE by this point, and was part of their NXT UK brand.
The WWE vowed to investigate the allegations, but no punishment was dished out to McDonagh. Stars like Travis Banks were fired from the company for their part in the Speaking Out scandal, but the Irishman made it out unscathed.
He went on to become a NXT Cruiserweight Champion, and is now a part of the hugely successful Judgement Day stable in the WWE.
If you want to read about more wrestlers who were impacted by the Speaking Out movement, click here!
