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Hey. Me again. I've been doing some more thinking, and there's some more stuff I think needs to be said, so... here I go, hopefully without messing it up, 'cause it's important. This one is... prone to tangents, but it goes out to all the promotions and wrestlers out there.
So back before Speaking Out hit, I got my friends on the podcast I'm on to watch and review a PWA show (the episode isn't out yet, hence why I've been thinking about it). Since it was recorded, it's safe to say that everything's changed. But there's one pretty big change.
Two of the wrestlers on the show, both mainstays of the PWA roster, were named as part of Speaking Out. One was accused of repeatedly sexually harassing a fan; the other was accused by multiple people- including myself- of bullying, abusing and harassing both fans and wrestlers.
In fact, the latter left one of his victims so traumatised that she tried to kill herself, still feels the effects of his abuse, and now will not return to watching wrestling shows live because she cannot feel safe there. There could be other victims of both men out there.
PWA has addressed Speaking Out in general and promised to make positive changes. However, neither of these two men have offered any public apology, admittance of wrongdoing or a proclamation of their intent to do better, and PWA has not mentioned them specifically.
As such, the fans cannot be assured of their safety at future shows right now. PWA has not stated that either man has been banned for their actions. And in addition, a good chunk of the roster is continually posting about one of them, making it clear that they support him.
#SpeakingOut didn't hit Australia with the same intensity that it did in other countries. People weren't getting named left and right. But that just means that the few who did get named stand out like a sore thumb. I find it hard to believe that they didn't hear the accusations.
So I find myself wondering... what the fuck, guys? You know what this guy did, you know who he did it to, and you're still supporting him? When he's been targeting people left and right over nothing? When one of the best people I know tried to kill herself because of him?
As naive as this likely sounds... I thought we were cool, you know? I thought we got along. I mean, you ate my brownies, you accepted my hugs, you talked to me at shows, you accepted my other gifts. Maybe I was just blinded by how much I liked you, I don't know.
Or maybe it's something else. I mean, I'm both A, autistic, and B, a dumbass, so maybe I was missing the blatantly obvious. Maybe everyone but me could see that y'all were just putting up with me, taking my stuff and talking shit about me once I was gone. Maybe.
But as it stands, I never expected this. I never expected that people I genuinely liked and respected and got along with would turn on me and the other victims in an instant, in favour of a guy who harassed and bullied people over nothing and left people traumatised.
So, here we come to the bit that's relevant to everyone: if you thought even for a second that things are going to go back to normal in a while, there are no words for how wrong you are. Because let me put it to you like this: the internet is forever, and fans don't forget.
We know the abusers for what they were ages ago, before Speaking Out hit and we had a chance of being believed. Everyone knows what they are now. We won't forget that, ever. We won't forget who they are, what they did, and how repentant- and unrepentant- they've been.
And- this is the big one- we won't forget what, if anything, the promotions do involving them. See, us victims, we don't give a shit about your storylines and stables. We want you to do your damn jobs and keep your fans safe at your shows. So if you book abusers, we'll remember.
And you might want to give some forethought as to how it'll look if you keep booking the abusers. Because if you book someone who's a known abuser, here's what you're telling us: 'We don't give a shit about the safety of the fans or the wrestlers'. And we hear you loud and clear.
At the end of the day, the decision's up to you. But if you endanger your fans by booking abusers, don't expect us to A, put up with it, or B, stay quiet about it. #SpeakingOut proved that the world's ready to listen, and we're completely willing to keep talking.
