I was an indy-pro wrestler from 2002-2007 (when I blew out my back). I haven’t been actively involved in wrestling for 13 years. A slew of sickening stories have come out through the #SpeakingOutMovement, #SpeakingOut, & #Speakingup & I realized I needed to say something. (1/??)

I was 27 yo when I started wrestling. Older than most. I was a college grad w/a 9-5 job that paid the bills, but I had to chase a dream before time caught up w/me. I went to the Main Event Wrestling Camp associated w/Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) in Cincinnati, OH. (2/??)

The HWA still had a developmental relationship with the WWE when I joined. Less than a year later, the developmental relationship ended & the HWA went from 20 trained wrestlers & 20 trainees, to just 20 green-as-grass trainees. (3/??)

That meant I was able to get on shows much sooner than anyone should, but it was an opportunity. It was also an opportunity for other area indy-wrestlers to get onto HWA shows. Other indy-wrestlers like Dave Crist and his brother. (4/??)

The 1st time I met Dave Crist I watched his brother almost get seriously hurt in a tryout match. They worked their way onto HWA shows & became regulars in the locker room, but they never came to training. (5/??)

I don’t know what wrestling training looks like now, but back then we worked hard. We were taught to roll, bump, sell, think, wrestle & respect the business. Holy crap, how many times did I hear that word “respect”? Not just from the trainers & veterans, but everyone. (6/??)

You’ve got to “respect” everything. You know where “respect” goes to die? A wrestling locker room. I’m not just talking the HWA locker room. Every locker room. Every one of them. As soon as the boys gather in a locker room, respect dies a horrible, quick death. (7/??)

I was always good at avoiding toxic people & toxic situations in wrestling, & all you had to do to find the toxic people was listen to the locker room stories. Oh my God the stories... (8/??)

The stories degraded fans, especially female fans (they were called “wrestling rats” or just “rats”), other wrestlers are gossiped about, trainees are humiliated & made to do ridiculous tasks “to pay their dues.” Then we get to the treatment of women wrestlers. (9/??)

Mostly, in indy-wrestling shows, there's just 1 locker room, w/no privacy. Women are changing into their gear covered in towels w/other women circled up around them to block the boys who were, of course, gawking. How the hell can anyone feel safe in that situation? (10/??)

Eventually the women of the HWA moved to changing in the office that had a bathroom. At other locations, they didn’t have that privilege. (11/??)

And we always had to listen to the boys' stories of sexual conquest – always the boys were bragging about what women they “had.” No matter what, the boys made themselves the hero in their stories & the woman was the slut or, worse, basically an object. (12/??)

Sometimes the conquest in the story was consensual, sometimes they “convinced” the woman, but, either way, she was "asking for it" & should be happy to have been touched by the wrestler’s dick. And after? Well, after she was “trash” & everyone would know it. (13/??)

Most of the stories were probably bullshit exaggerations, but there was enough truth buried in the bullshit to teach me who to avoid. Dave Crist was one of those people. (14/??)

I didn’t owe anything to Dave & he had no power over me. I was able to avoid him outside of wrestling & ,inside wrestling, I tolerated him as best I could b/c I had to work with him a lot. We were both in successful tag teams & had a long run against each other. (15/??)

Although I can’t say I witnessed any actual illegal behavior, I’m not surprised by the stories I have read over the last several days. That’s sad and sickens me, but it's true. (16/??)

One year, during a Columbus Clippers baseball game after which the HWA was going to have a show, the highlight for the boys was watching Dave Crist talk a girl into going into the parking lot & giving him a blow job. I can't believe I just typed that nauseating sentence. (17/??)

After his “conquest” a bunch of the boys were listening to him brag & congratulating him. Fucking hell, what type of a place is wrestling? (18/??)

His action in the ring wasn’t any better. I don’t mean he was bad at wrestling. I mean he was violent & cruel. I once watched Dave, during a 100 man battle royale, throw another wrestler outside the ring, & jump down on him from the top rope with a double stomp. (19/??)

Dave didn't protect the kid & there was no reason for it. After, I saw the kid in the back, clutching his gut. To this day, I don’t know what happened to him. (20/??)

I get giving a receipt when needed, but there is nothing this kid could have done to warrant possibly rupturing an internal organ. He seemed to revel in violence...he was always going to "fuck [someone] up." (21/??)

Did I say anything at the time? No. Why? Fucking wrestling. That’s why. The stupid line I always heard (& sometimes used), “It’s good for the business, kid.” (22/??)

Hell, when I first wrote this out, I had my wife, a talented writer & editor, read it over. She told me I was pulling my punches. I was. You know why? 18 years later I’m still trying to protect Kayfabe. Well, fuck Kayfabe. (23/??)

Some idiot thinks up a way to make more money in wrestling at the turn of the century, comes up with the term Kayfabe to protect the scam & where does it lead us? To this. It leads to #Speakingup & #Speakingout being necessary. Yes, NECESSARY. (24/??)

Looking back, indy-wrestling is a horrible situation w/the locker room political bullshit you have to navigate & if you talk or step out of line or, God forbid, “disrespect” anyone - watch out - your career is dead before it begins. What bullshit. (25/??)

If you’re a woman trying to break into this business, I’m not religious, but I pray for you. Indy-wrestling is like high school on meth - so many alpha-males pumped up on their own egos trying to lay as many women as possible. (26/??)

Wrestling companies need to take a long, hard look at themselves. What type of environment are you fostering? Firing a few employees won’t change anything. You need to put a stop to the locker room talk, the shitty treatment of women, the environment that rewards that bs. (27/??)

Your company can lead the way. &, yes, your wrestling company is a business. You can try & hide behind independent contractor BS, but if you constantly employ & protecting abusers of any type & you do nothing to change that, then you enable abuse & are 100% responsible. (28/??)

You can insist on change. You can end the locker room bullshit. You can make the industry safe for all people, including women. There are resources out there, go learn. Zero tolerance information is not hard to find, nor is it hard to implement. (29/??)

Guess what? That great worker who really brings in the crowd who pushes back on your zero tolerance stance? Fuck that person. You don’t need them. There are 30 people waiting to take that spot. No one is irreplaceable. (30/??)

The next thing you need to do is believe women. Simple, but we don’t do it and that’s wrong. Believe them and treat them like people, for God’s sake, not objects. Believe the women who are #SpeakingUp & #SpeakingOut now & in the future. (31/??)

You know, I don’t follow many wrestlers on social media anymore. But, for the first time in a long time, I went & looked at the social media feeds of the wrestlers I still follow. All but 2, silent this last week. Why? (32/??)

Some of you hold power in new companies, some are respected veterans. You’re the “good guys.” You should BE the good guys. (33/??)

I saw one, I guy I really admire, say he had so much to say but did not know how to say it. That was several days ago & nothing since. Dude, SAY ANYTHING!! That’s how this shit survives and thrives – because we don’t say anything. (34/??)

The world has seen this scenario play out multiple times in the last several years - Gamergate, MeToo, Black Lives Matter the situation in comics/SF/F right now. If we “good guys” stay silent nothing changes. (35/??)

I admit I didn’t help. Because, before now, I didn’t say anything. I should have. I was wrong and I need to own that for the rest of my life. I’m sorry. (36/??)

Karma is unyeilding & these shits are getting what they deserve, but if you're still in wrestling, call this abuse out when you see it. Fuck Kayfabe. (37/??)

To anyone out there w/stories of abuse or harassment, to all of you who are #SpeakingOut & #SpeakingUp, and all of you who haven't yet, I believe you & I’m truly sorry you had to live through that pain. (38/38)