Heather: Misconduct In Wrestling… Will Anything Really Change?

After all of the outrage in 2020 about sexual misconduct in the world of wrestling, we still have the same issues–and cover-ups–in 2021. What will it take?

Wrestling has a big problem and it isn’t just the rampant abuse of power between the performers & their fans. Since last summer we have heard countless accounts of wrestlers crossing professional boundaries not only with each other but with fans. Rampant abuse and trauma was recounted in the summer of 2020. We heard calls for change. Vows to be better and hold others accountable.

Now it’s March 2021.

Another performer’s misconduct has been named, we find ourselves in the same cycle. Friends coming forward to defend the accused. Saying the victim is a liar, seeking attention or the ever popular “WELL, REMEMBER WHAT THIS FL WRESTLER DID?!” It’s an embarrassing ever present reaction from people who should know by now to just stop. No one comes forward with trauma without knowing that there will be backlash but that trauma is important to acknowledge so that no one else falls victim to that person (hopefully).

The attempt to silence and divert attention though is disgusting and needs to be addressed. That’s why, the enablers of these people are just as culpable at this point as the abusers. This idea that you can drown out claims against your friends and idols with “I love yous” speaks volumes of those friends & supporters. Not of the victim. Not even of the accused.

Wrestling isn’t going to get better with silence. These situations aren’t going to go away because they’re kept in the dark. Wrestlers need to hold each other accountable. They need to stop going to social media to defend and protect each other. Instead, have honest conversations with each other. Yes, there are levels to these actions. Yes, there are situations we can move forward from. But those “I love yous”, those support tweets when a victim is bearing their soul is not something most fans will forget or move forward from. Nor should we. It breaks and breaches a trust that is already fragile to begin with.

Stop trying to befriend fans. Stop trying to pretend that there isn’t a difference in power between the wrestlers and the fans that idolize them. Stop acting like anyone coming forward just wants attention. Most importantly, stop diverting attention from people’s bad actions to other people’s bad actions. We know there are monsters in wrestling but until wrestlers themselves stop working with them, there is only so much others can do. Help us work together to make wrestling safer instead of shielding eyes from your friends.