sek69 Posted June 24, 2020 Report Share Posted June 24, 2020 7 minutes ago, C.S. said: Trenesha Biggers (Rhaka Khan in TNA) is posting about Kurt Angle. Not a new story, but I'm surprised it took several days to resurface. This is one of many tweets: Is she saying that PW Insider didn't run with the story, or is she saying it ran and then Kurt/Dixie got it removed? I don't frequent that spyware-infested shithole and don't rate any of its "reporters," so I'm asking. BTW, I really need to stop looking at Twitter. Every time I do, it's something new and horrifying. I feel so heartbroken for the poor women and men who have been put through the ringer by such a scuzzy industry. Wrestling journalism is a tricky thing. Most people doing it don't have the legal protection to touch something like that without fear of getting sued over it, and you have someone like Dave who will not mention anything about allegations unless it results in charges or someone quitting/getting fired. Right or wrong, when the people who should be getting the word out either can't or won't do so, it only helps the abusers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted June 24, 2020 Report Share Posted June 24, 2020 5 minutes ago, sek69 said: Wrestling journalism is a tricky thing. Most people doing it don't have the legal protection to touch something like that without fear of getting sued over it, and you have someone like Dave who will not mention anything about allegations unless it results in charges or someone quitting/getting fired. Right or wrong, when the people who should be getting the word out either can't or won't do so, it only helps the abusers. Bix seems to run detailed pieces though. How does it do it without getting sued? (Or maybe he has been sued? I have no idea.) Also, I see a lot of sites (CagesideSeats, Wrestling Inc., etc.) posting the tweets. How come they're not in danger of getting sued? Is it because they're only re-posting tweets and not posting original material (like a site interviewing a wrestler would be)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted June 24, 2020 Report Share Posted June 24, 2020 Bix mentioned when he was working for Deadspin they had liability insurance on their writers so they could write the stories they wanted to without fear of being sued over it (assuming what they wrote was factual of course). Since most journalists are freelancers now, most don't have that luxury and have to weight the possibility of being tied up in court forever when writing something. Obligatory I Am Not A Lawyer, but I think retweeting is different than posting original material. I could be wrong though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 52 minutes ago, C.S. said: But I'm not optimistic enough to believe that will ever happen. For example, what has WWE really addressed over the past week? They fired the low on the totem pole, completely expendable, won't be missed, no one will notice he's gone anyway Jack Gallagher. And? This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMJ Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 I'd also just add that, at least in the case of Trenesha Biggers (Rhaka Khan) and Kurt Angle, it was covered by media at the time. A cursory search of "Kurt Angle Arrested 2009" reveals that it was a news story outside of just Pittsburgh. The issue was, you can count on one hand how many people actually cared. And the same was true when he was arrested multiple times after 2009 for DUIs. Now, I'm not comparing DUIs and domestic violence, but its not like Kurt Angle has had just one "slip-up" or a single lapse of judgment. As Biggers makes clear in her tweets, he was/is an addict who was likely enabled by the WWE until even they knew they had to cut ties with him - at which point he went to TNA and was enabled by them for years. Its great that he's been clean and sober since 2013 and I'm not saying people don't deserve second and third and fourth chances, but that whole time, when somebody usually has their "fall from grace," they actually fall. Angle kept working, kept being promoted as TNA's top guy, continued to make lucrative deals that whole time. At no point was Kurt Angle actually "cancelled." He lost the respect of some people, obviously went through familial turmoil over the years, but if you're Trenesha Biggers, its hard not to feel like your story was swept under the rug so that the Kurt Angle Brand could keep making money. Also, as Biggers point out, Angle's particular substance abuse issues (steroids, alcohol, painkillers) and her accusation of domestic violence are analogous to what we learned about Chris Benoit and even to Steve Austin's history of domestic violence. She's not wrong in raising awareness that domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and other awfulness are all a problem. And, as far as "opportunism" goes, hell yeah she (and others) should be dredging up the dirt now. When Terri Runnels first said Brock Lesnar exposed himself to her - an allegation that she made in 2004 - nobody cared. Thanks to #SpeakingOut, the volume has been turned up and people are actually listening now. I'm not going to go into my thoughts on that particular story, but I'm also not going to dismiss anyone's claim offhand or question motives when this movement has brought to light just how rampant this sort of behavior - from the "mild" to the extreme - has been for decades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul sosnowski Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Does anyone have a copy of this article? It mysteriously got deleted tonight while my wife was reading it!!! A Professional Wrestler and His Mysterious Connection to a Missing ... Feb 14, 2020 · Samantha fiddler meets Teddy Hart. Samantha Louise Michelle Fiddler was a mother of three from Edmonton, Alberta. You visited this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul sosnowski Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Holy crap..... https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Samantha-Fiddler-Matthew-Brown/dp/1674934548 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted June 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Bull James also has been accused of some shady shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rah Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 57 minutes ago, paul sosnowski said: Does anyone have a copy of this article? It mysteriously got deleted tonight while my wife was reading it!!! A Professional Wrestler and His Mysterious Connection to a Missing ... Feb 14, 2020 · Samantha fiddler meets Teddy Hart. Samantha Louise Michelle Fiddler was a mother of three from Edmonton, Alberta. You visited this It's still up on Google's archive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted June 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Joey Ryan has SIXTEEN accusations against him. It's bad enough as it is, but NOT A SINGLE PERSON was aware of it? With wrestling's "boys will be boys" mentality? Come on. Like, with the sheer amount of victims and the popularity the dude had, it's just hard for me to believe that not one person knew about anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Dragon Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 6 minutes ago, KawadaSmile said: Joey Ryan has SIXTEEN accusations against him. It's bad enough as it is, but NOT A SINGLE PERSON was aware of it? With wrestling's "boys will be boys" mentality? Come on. Like, with the sheer amount of victims and the popularity the dude had, it's just hard for me to believe that not one person knew about anything. Honestly when Candice LaRae came forward with how shocked she was and had no idea I was very skeptical. She was closely associated rival/tag partner of Ryan for years. Also he popularized moves like the Boobplex on her. She might have been cool with it, but that never raised any red flags? Really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted June 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Honestly, Candice might be the one person he was making the effort of hiding things from. But what about the others? Everyone says there is a "boy's club" mentality still going around, but not a single one of hi peers knew about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 44 minutes ago, KawadaSmile said: Honestly, Candice might be the one person he was making the effort of hiding things from. But what about the others? Everyone says there is a "boy's club" mentality still going around, but not a single one of hi peers knew about it? You are underestimating the capacity predators (and other assholes of that ilk) have to hide their true selves from even the closest people. Meltz reported that the Joey Ryan thing sent waves of shock and stupefaction. The worst when you really think of it is like, ok, there are 16 accusations. Which means there are probably *more* stories that haven't been told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted June 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 4 minutes ago, El-P said: The worst when you really think of it is like, ok, there are 16 accusations. Which means there are probably *more* stories that haven't been told. Absolutely. If we're being honest it's probably like twice the amount of people he's victimized in one way or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 1 hour ago, KawadaSmile said: Joey Ryan has SIXTEEN accusations against him. It's bad enough as it is, but NOT A SINGLE PERSON was aware of it? With wrestling's "boys will be boys" mentality? Come on. Like, with the sheer amount of victims and the popularity the dude had, it's just hard for me to believe that not one person knew about anything. Look at all the serial killers that have families. People might have suspected he was up to something but weren't able to proof it. He also was a name and had clout. You would need to have your shit together to not get blackballed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Thread Killer Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 I agree with Jerome. During my career I worked with a number of hardcore sex offenders who were some of the most charming, engaging people you would ever meet. I would read files on some offenders and have a hard time believing that the individuals I knew were capable of committing the acts I was reading about. That's the thing about a lot of sex offenders, their ability to charm helps them manipulate people and keeps them from getting caught. There have even been cases where husbands have been serial offenders and their spouses and families literally had no idea. These people have subterfuge down to an art form. I can't honestly blame somebody who knew Joey Ryan for not seeing through his act. I am sure in some cases there might be people who look the other way, don't want to believe it, or try and rationalize predatory behavior...but more often than not sexual predators are just master manipulators and world class liars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted June 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 1 minute ago, Mad Dog said: He also was a name and had clout. You would need to have your shit together to not get blackballed. To me that's the catch. I believe many accusations say that one of the reasons they didn't come forward before is that he *is* a big name in the indies, especially in SoCal, I believe. Going up alone against him would be suicide. 1 minute ago, The Thread Killer said: I am sure in some cases there might be people who look the other way, don't want to believe it, or try and rationalize predatory behavior...but more often than not sexual predators are just master manipulators and world class liars. Ain't that, in part, the "boys will be boys" dismissal? Like, people normalize shit to the point they are taken as something that just happens, despite being actual crimes, just because the offender is a nice wrestler or something. Look, there are some who people still campaign for Chris Benoit to be in the Hall of Fame, despite murdering his wife and kid. It wouldn't be surprising if someone knew about Joey Ryan and just shrugged it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 It doesn't necessarily have to be "boys will boys" thing. There are a lot of facets to human psychology. Some of it might be "oh wow, that was kind of fucked but I must be wrong because the person I know wouldn't do that." I also think we have to account for external pressures. You are preparing for your match and have some stage fright and don't notice because your head is somewhere else. Or maybe a lot of guys just do the rounds of hellos and go hang with one or two friends or play video games in a corner. I think it would be super easy to miss or just catch a side glimpse of something and write it off as you were mistaken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 I just wanted to add as well. Human beings are terrible at accurately remembering things. When you get into criminal cases, eye witnesses testimony can be terrible evidence because we don't remember events or timelines well. People wanting to pick things apart need to realize events will get jumbled the further out you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
World's Worst Man Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 11 minutes ago, Mad Dog said: People wanting to pick things apart need to realize events will get jumbled the further out you go. This is valid reasoning for being somewhat skeptical of allegations that purport events that happened years ago. It's also why the message needs to be pushed - Report this shit as soon as possible after it happens; because more than anything, having adequate evidence to prove the misdeeds is what matters most if justice is being sought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 1 hour ago, The Thread Killer said: ...but more often than not sexual predators wrestlers are just master manipulators and world class liars. Part of the literal job of wrestling has been manipulating people into handing over their money. It's ingrained in the DNA of the industry. Is it that surprising that people who excel at manipulation also manipulated their industry friends? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted June 26, 2020 Report Share Posted June 26, 2020 NXT UK's Ligero and Travis Banks were finally released by WWE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted June 26, 2020 Report Share Posted June 26, 2020 Reports coming out that Velveteen Dream has either been released or will be shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Posted June 26, 2020 Report Share Posted June 26, 2020 1 hour ago, sek69 said: Reports coming out that Velveteen Dream has either been released or will be shortly. Wow. He quickly went from a guy that I thought could be the future of WWE to a guy I never want to see again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul sosnowski Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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