CW: mentions of abuse and sexual assault
Within the last week, hundreds of stories of abuse, sexual assault, and predatory behavior have been shared by survivors on social media. It seems every day, more survivors are speaking out. A lot of popular names have been implicated, both in-ring talent and other employees. This is also coming on the heels of several wrestling social media personalities being exposed as predators. It is certainly a lot to take in; many people are reliving their own experiences or are coming to terms with hard truths about their favorite performers. The fact that there are so many accounts, so many survivors, and such a lengthy history for some shows that we really need to clean up our beloved pro wrestling industry. Here are a few things I think we can do to achieve that.
Protect underage talent and fans.
The overwhelming majority of survivors, both wrestlers and fans, that are speaking out were minors at the time of these incidents. That is unacceptable, regardless of what the age of consent is. Adults should not be sleeping with children. Point blank. Underage talent and fans shouldn’t be sexualized. And there are boundaries that simply shouldn’t be crossed. Be professional and move along. If that’s something you can’t do, you need to get out of the business.
Screen potential talent, employees, and volunteers.
Most jobs require you to pass a criminal background check prior to starting employment. Wrestling should be no different. And even if there hasn’t been anything reported, people are often aware of others’ reputations. If the potential worker is surrounded by a lot of accusations and negative buzz, I believe that this should be addressed. It’s better to do a little extra work than to possibly expose others to an abuser.
Believe survivors.
This one is simple. Just believe survivors. It takes an incredible amount of strength to speak out, especially if the perpetrator has a lot more power than you do. Also speaking out opens the door to an unimaginable combination of backlash and slut shaming.
Don’t punish those that speak out.
There is a huge problem with survivors that speak out being blacklisted in the industry while their abusers’ careers flourish. If people see that their career might potentially end over sharing something so personal, they will be more hesitant to talk. Blacklisting survivors is a silencing tactic and it needs to stop.
Hold people accountable for their words and actions.
Another overarching problem in the wrestling community, and greater society, is that people still think rape jokes/threats are acceptable. Some audio from a few years recently resurfaced which included a direct reference to rape. Many people were understandably upset, but there was a large group of people who defended the words by insisting that it was simply a joke. In the same manner, hold people accountable for their actions. They shouldn’t get to make a half-assed apology and move on with their lives.
People can change, but that trust and respect must be re-earned.
If you know me, you know that I’m a big proponent of allowing people to learn and grow. All of us have said or done things that we know now were inappropriate. At the same time, those that were hurt in the process do not have to automatically forgive. We as outsiders cannot say when a hurt has been healed. That is up to the survivors. And even if the perpetrator is forgiven, the trust has been broken and the respect is gone. These are things that don’t come back quickly; they must be re-earned.
