Veteran pro wrestler Joey Ryan isn’t as active on Twitter these days as he once was, but he took to Twitter this week with several interesting comments on the fallout from last summer’s “#SpeakingOut” allegations, and comments on AEW President & CEO Tony Khan.
We noted how in early March a wrestling charity event was announced with AEW stars Brian Cage and Sonny Kiss on the card, along with Ryan. Khan tweeted that his wrestlers wouldn’t be allowed to work the show, due to Ryan’s involvement, but he would still gladly donate to the charity. The entire show ended up being nixed due to the controversy.
Ryan began his series of tweets when a fan knocked Khan for “grandstanding against” Ryan and then having Mike Tyson on AEW Dynamite this week, referring to Tyson’s rape conviction from many years ago. The fan asked, “What really matters more, your morals… or cheap pop ratings?”
Ryan responded and wrote, “My background check comes up spotless. The only things I’m guilty of are womanizing and infidelity and neither of those are crimes. As far as ‘rape’ goes, most of the stories didn’t even include any physical intimacy and none of them used that word.”
One fan responded and said Ryan was also guilty of sexual assault because he made other wrestlers touch his penis.
Ryan wrote back, “It’s not possible to ‘shoot’ a dick flip on anybody.”
Ryan told another fan that he hasn’t started another indie promotion because the country is in the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating that he may pursue plans in the future.
One fan compared Ryan to The Zodiac Killer, someone who committed crimes but also was never convicted. Ryan responded, “I’m not hiding. I welcome an investigation.”
Regarding the indie charity show, Ryan went back & forth with one fan and they asked him about when he “faked a charity event” to knock him. Ryan responded, “No matter how you try to reframe it, that show was for a good cause and a charity lost out.”
Ryan then told the fan that he was working the charity event for free. He also said the AEW talents were booked through AEW’s third party booking system, and that the only request they gave the indie promoter was that they did not want Kiss or Cage to be in a match with Ryan, which shows that they knew ahead of time that Ryan was involved with the show, before Khan’s tweet.
“Brian and Sonny were booked through AEW’s third party booking system and the only request they gave the promoter was that they didn’t want them to be in a match with me so clearly they knew,” Ryan wrote.
Ryan was also asked about how it was said the charity event would be airing on FITE TV, and then a FITE executive dismissed that claim. He responded, “I have a copy of the contract they sent.”
Ryan has been in treatment for his addictions and noted that March 31 marked 9 months “free from acting out in sex and love addictions” and that he is “happy to be making positive strides.” Ryan is also pretty religious these days. One fan mentioned Khan and noted that Ryan wasn’t taking a “very Christian approach to the situation” and that he should maybe turn the other cheek.
Ryan responded and said he doesn’t know why Khan has a personal problem with him.
He wrote, ‘I don’t see how this “isn’t very Christian.’ I didn’t bash anybody. I made a factual statement followed by a legitimate question. I don’t know why he has a personal problem with me. I don’t dislike him. I don’t even know him.”
Ryan commented on another meme that knocked AEW for using Tyson. He mentioned Tyson being booked and how AEW allowed SCU to wear Kobe Bryant jerseys on TV, referring to Kobe’s sexual assault case from 2003.
“Between booking Tyson and allowing SCU to wear Kobe jerseys on TV, it’s pretty clear he isn’t some women’s advocate. It must be personal against me. I just don’t know what I did to personally irk him. Maybe my vocal disapproval of his intergender to DV comparison? Only he knows,” Ryan wrote.
Another fan knocked Ryan for those comments but he doubled down on how he was never accused of actual rape. He also said most allegations didn’t include any physical intimacy at all.
Another fan knocked Ryan for other wrestlers feeling obligated to touch his penis for money, a reference to the “dick flip” move he used. He responded, “I always suggested alternatives to doing the dick flip.”
Ryan’s last single tweet included a statement on the allegations against him.
“Never forced anyone. Never threatened anyone. Never held anyone down. Never tore anyone’s clothes off. Never coerced anyone. Never acted outside of consent. Everyone willingly disrobed and/or participated. I’m beginning to think you guys don’t know what the word ‘assault’ means,” he wrote.
As noted before, Ryan announced back in mid-March that he was dropping several of his defamation lawsuits that came after the allegations against him in the “#SpeakingOut” movements last summer. He also issued a lengthy statement on his addictions, lawsuits, allegations, and the nixed indie event that Khan had commented on. You can click here for that statement and report. He then announced that he had decided to drop the multi-million dollar lawsuit against former ROH star Pelle Primeau, ending the lawsuits. These tweets from this week were his first since the statement on the lawsuits and other troubles in mid-March.
Ryan has not wrestled since working for Impact Wrestling last June. He was released that same month due to the “#SpeakingOut” allegations.
Ryan made several more tweet on the assault and racism allegations against him, and more comments on some of the other controversies surrounding him over the past few years. You can read all of his related tweets below:
My background check comes up spotless. The only things I’m guilty of are womanizing and infidelity and neither of those are crimes. As far as “rape” goes, most of the stories didn’t even include any physical intimacy and none of them used that word. https://t.co/LGqwDmhml8
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
It’s not possible to “shoot” a dick flip on anybody. https://t.co/1Fw4QZsAet
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
Because the country is in a pandemic. https://t.co/6OgdvSf3at
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
https://t.co/mAz3OdjQRn pic.twitter.com/JTg6r4eL3k
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
I’m not hiding. I welcome an investigation. https://t.co/AvfgeND2FW
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
You can’t convict someone who hasn’t committed a crime. https://t.co/Q2bW3EqfO0
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
I was doing it for free actually.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
Brian and Sonny were booked through AEW’s third party booking system and the only request they gave the promoter was that they didn’t want them to be in a match with me so clearly they knew.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
No matter how you try to reframe it, that show was for a good cause and a charity lost out. https://t.co/viiKsc7xDt
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
AEW made the request, not the wrestlers.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
I have a copy of the contract they sent.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
Nobody went to the police.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
Twitter is so bizarre. pic.twitter.com/pZuWli7ceJ
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
Why wouldn’t they just let go? https://t.co/wd8QcT2LED
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
Wouldn’t they be using me in that scenario then?
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
Why won’t anybody investigate then? Probably because there’s no crime to investigate.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
I’m sorry that you had to go through that but it doesn’t mean that I did it.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
I believe I addressed that in the tweet she quoted.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
All that’s fine but if people are trying to “cancel” me then there’s some flawed logic to keep talking about me.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
She had the opportunity to fight it in court and she chose not to.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
That’s why I tried to get an investigation myself. Nobody went to the police and Impact didn’t do the one agreed to in my contract. Do you think I’m bringing attention to it if I’m hiding something? https://t.co/a0hoLrBEMW
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
I don’t get on twitter much these days which is a response to both your tweets. I generally only see what I’m tagged in on the day I look but I thought you were on team gofundme.
My attorney said it was defamatory and he’s the one with the law degree and I pay him for a reason.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
It’s a pop culture reference. A quote of the opening lyrics to the Jay Z song “The Dynasty” which was also the name of our tag team at the time and we used this as our entrance music.
It was also 10 years ago and I wouldn’t use that quote again.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
My background check comes up spotless. The only things I’m guilty of are womanizing and infidelity and neither of those are crimes. As far as “rape” goes, most of the stories didn’t even include any physical intimacy and none of them used that word. https://t.co/LGqwDmhml8
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
This doesn’t make any sense. https://t.co/stxOAukwrr
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
In Kayfabe terms, every wrestling move is assault. As far as “sexual” goes, it would depend on intent. My intent was always to inflict damage and win the match. I always followed it up with a pin attempt. Would you also say Rikishi’s gimmick was sexual assault?
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
I shouldn’t have tweeted it. I regret that and the shots at Laynie and Pelle. Those were posted with resentments and I’m learning to let go of those in the program I’m in. It’s the main reason I dropped the lawsuits. I couldn’t fully let resentments go and still be tied to them. https://t.co/VzVJMwOmCQ
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
I won two of them and the others were pending.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
I don’t see how this “isn’t very Christian.” I didn’t bash anybody. I made a factual statement followed by a legitimate question. I don’t know why he has a personal problem with me. I don’t dislike him. I don’t even know him.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
Today marks 9 months free from acting out in sex and love addictions. Happy to be making positive strides. pic.twitter.com/YNJAK2IYgI
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) March 31, 2021
She was like 26 when this came out.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
I never committed a crime though.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
That video showed that I didn’t assault anybody. Being a womanizer isn’t assault or a crime.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
What did I admit to? Give me specifics.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
But nobody has ever accused me of that.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
Between booking Tyson and allowing SCU to wear Kobe jerseys on TV, it’s pretty clear he isn’t some women’s advocate. It must be personal against me. I just don’t know what I did to personally irk him. Maybe my vocal disapproval of his intergender to DV comparison? Only he knows. https://t.co/tFyYt8GQaR
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 7, 2021
Most didn’t include any physical intimacy at all.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
I always suggested alternatives to doing the dick flip.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
Amends in an important part but I can’t make amends for things I didn’t do.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
There is no evidence.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
Zero people have said that I threatened their career.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
You can’t name one person who has said that about me.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
Because me threatening or negatively influencing someone’s career isn’t a real thing.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
Nobody said I threatened their careers.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
Much like you did here, people just imagined it and then tweeted about it with no basis of truth.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
Yes, I was responding to the made up tweets.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
Well nobody accuse me of that so it was a false narrative going around.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
Relax. It’s a harmless meme. There are no victims because there was no crime committed.
Why do you hate me so much that wouldn’t want to “say anything for my benefit?” I’m rather indifferent about you so I don’t understand the personal vendetta.
— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
Never forced anyone.
Never threatened anyone.
Never held anyone down.
Never tore anyone’s clothes off.
Never coerced anyone.
Never acted outside of consent.
Everyone willingly disrobed and/or participated.
I’m beginning to think you guys don’t know what the word “assault” means.— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 8, 2021
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