Indie and Impact star Joey Ryan’s name came up last week during the initial days of the #SpeakingOut movement. Over the weekend, more and more women came forward with their stories of dealing with Ryan, which demonstrated a pattern of abuse and assault. Wrestlers Ryan Nemeth and Joey Janela have come forward to back the women’s accounts.
In response, Ryan tweeted a statement. It’s since been deleted along with the rest of his Twitter account, but after saying he wouldn’t comment on the allegations on the advice of his lawyer, he told a “personal story” about how he couldn’t handle the fame which came after his penis-based gimmick took off, has been in therapy, had positive interactions with his victims when reaching out to them, etc.
The account for Ryan’s promotion, Bar Wrestling, was also deactivated. The website SoCal Uncensored spoke to Bootleg Theater, the venue where Bar Wrestling shows took place, and confirmed they’ve ended their relationship with the company due to what’s surfaced about Ryan.
Highspots also told Post Wrestling they’ve pulled any Bar shows Ryan could have still made money off of from their streaming service.
While rumors indicate they’ll part ways with him, Impact Wrestling parent company Anthem still hasn’t commented beyond their initial statement. Ryan was leading the #CancelCulture faction on television, of which there are several additional episodes taped leading into their July Slammiversary PPV.