Indie expertise Raychell Rose, who was a mainstay at Booker T’s Actuality of Wrestling (ROW), speaks out over her termination from the promotion.
Rose, who’s a former ROW Diamond’s Division Champion, was allegedly being stalked by trainee Shawn Reed. Reed had been informed to steer clear of the coaching venue, reveals, and neighborhood of Rose as he made her and others uncomfortable.
In a report by Fightful, they’ve a variety of particulars in regards to the state of affairs:
Regardless of these warnings, we’re informed that Reed made himself current quite a few occasions round Rose and others. Rose tried to file stalking and harassment fees, however the fees had been denied on the grounds that Rose and Reed had been by no means in a relationship with each other. Rose claims that an officer did make contact with Reed and point out that he ought to go away Rose alone.
Fightful obtained conversations way back to August 2021, the place it was indicated to Reed that his conduct was a difficulty. Reed had cited that Rose had “manipulated him into considering she was single,” regardless of it being broadly recognized within the firm that she was in a long-term relationship. A ROW official, who Rose stated was Kevin Bernhardt as an alternative urged Reed to coach at Premier, as his attendance at ROW had been sparse as is. Reed claimed he was bullied and had extenuating circumstances, however was nonetheless urged to go away. Rose informed Fightful that Bernhardt knew Rose carried out at Premier, and nonetheless inspired Reed to go there as an alternative. We reached out to Bernhardt in regards to the story, however didn’t hear again. Rose informed Fightful that Bernhardt was supposed to tell Booker T – the face and proprietor of Actuality of Wrestling – however didn’t achieve this.
On March 5, 2022 Rose was wrestling on the Houston Premier Enviornment, when Reed arrived. When Fightful spoke with Blake Jones, he claimed that he had Reed ejected from the venue, and made a remark alluding to harming individuals within the venue. An incident report was filed on March 7, and on March 10, ROW official Kevin Bernhardt instructed Reed to not come to an upcoming occasion that Rose could be featured on. Reed contacted Bernhardt once more on June 27, 2022 for permission to attend an upcoming present, however Bernhardt denied him in what gave the impression to be an amicable alternate.
Jones and Rose each declare that Bernhardt referred a number of problematic trainers to Premier. We reached out to Bernhardt in regards to the story, however had not gained a response after a number of weeks.
On September 9, Reed messaged Rose in an try and make amends, after he’d been instructed quite a few occasions to not contact her, together with by police.
Then, in December 2022, a state of affairs unfolded after a Actuality of Wrestling present that noticed a number of arrests, together with Reed. Nevertheless, there have been claims on behalf of scholars of Actuality of Wrestling that it may have been prevented.
Quite a few sources indicated to us that Reed as soon as once more appeared at a Actuality of Wrestling present the place Rose was competing. Rose was not knowledgeable of this, as Actuality of Wrestling Officers had been eradicating him from the venue. Nevertheless, Rose’s declare was that she was to inform police instantly if Reed had been to be round her.
Booker T, who was not conscious of the state of affairs, or Reed himself, encountered Reed within the car parking zone. The declare from expertise at Actuality of Wrestling was that Reed had made threats on himself in addition to implied to Booker immediately he’d thought of attacking others on the college, with some claiming that he even talked about taking pictures up the venue. We’re informed that Booker walked Reed again into the venue after he’d been ejected, in what he claimed was an effort to calm Reed down and stop him from doing something “loopy.”
Following the present, Reed was at a bar that Actuality of Wrestling performers go to after each present as a practice, with many claiming that he knew of this and had popped up there prior. Rose approached Reed when she noticed him, telling him to steer clear of her and that she was calling the police. Earlier than the police arrived, Actuality of Wrestling expertise confronted Reed, who Rose stated hit a ROW Wrestler with a glass mug and tried to strike her. Reed was arrested after the battle, and the fees.
A Actuality of Wrestling expertise was additionally arrested for disorderly conduct along with the state of affairs, however Booker T claimed the expertise’s fees had been expunged and he was rapidly bonded out. These we spoke to stated that the attacked ROW expertise’s medical bills weren’t lined, although Rose thought they need to be.
Rose informed Fightful that Actuality of Wrestling claimed there was a trespass warrant for Shawn Reed after December, however that police confirmed within the report that wasn’t the case. Rose claims she was informed that ROW would have armed safety and cameras to assist forestall points, which she says additionally didn’t find yourself taking place.
Rose stated that upon talking with Booker T after the incident, that she was fired from Actuality of Wrestling, which she felt wasn’t justified. She felt as if she was successfully lower from the corporate as a consequence of having a stalker through which she’d warned the corporate about. These conversant in the state of affairs declare she was blamed for inflicting the problematic character to be round, despite the fact that he’d been warned quite a few occasions to remain away.
Fightful made contact with Booker T, and he did verify that Rose was fired from ROW, citing inner causes that he wouldn’t elaborate on. He additionally confirmed that the incident at Stuttgarden Tavern occurred, and it was of his opinion that the ROW expertise ought to have distanced themselves from Shawn Reed as an alternative of confronting him. ROW expertise current and previous that we spoke to stated that Reed was properly conscious that the expertise could be there, and believed that he did it deliberately because of this.
Booker insisted that the timing of this story rising was as a consequence of a gathering on the January 13 Actuality of Wrestling present that associated to loyalty among the many wrestlers. We will verify that we heard of this story after Booker T and Actuality of Wrestling informed their expertise that they didn’t need their wrestlers working different unbiased firms in Houston. Booker was additionally curious as to why it took a 12 months for the story to emerge, which Rose stated was as a result of she feared doable retaliation from Reed, and at last felt protected sharing the story. Booker known as the difficulty a “nonstory” and pointed to Actuality of Wrestling’s observe document of not having comparable tales emerge from their firm.
“Booker screamed and cursed at me when he arrived on the scene whereas I used to be speaking to police on the December incident that this was my fault and I’m the explanation individuals bought harm and arrested,” Rose stated.
We will verify that there have been a number of wrestlers who left Actuality of Wrestling in protest after the state of affairs. One informed Fightful that they left as a result of the state of affairs left them feeling unsafe and never protected on the venue after the state of affairs unfolded, in gentle of the threats they heard Reed had spoken of.
Rose spoke with Fightful and stated “To talk on the non-public aspect of issues, My security has not been safe for years as a consequence of Shawn Reed and the shortage of help I acquired from the individuals in cost at Actuality of Wrestling which allowed Shawn’s actions to escalate the way in which they did unchecked. This challenge being allowed to fester for therefore lengthy has resulted in lots of hours of talking in particular person to and on the cellphone with cops, district attorneys, and attorneys due to this example. I’ve spent and proceed to spend quite a lot of time in remedy classes to course of trauma associated to this incident in hopes of at some point totally overcoming the results of it. That itself comes with a stigma, however it’s all part of the therapeutic course of which I’m studying to navigate and totally embrace.”
Fightful has obtained incident experiences from when Reed appeared at Premier Enviornment, the place Rose had wrestled, and was requested to go away. Fightful reached out to every title listed on the incident report as a witness for his or her account of occasions. We’ve additionally obtained quite a few screenshots of messages the place Reed was instructed to remain away.
Rose informed Fightful, “Total I hope what comes out of that is Booker, together with the individuals positioned in cost at his college, implement procedures and protections to make sure all threats are taken severely sooner or later. Ought to they proceed to not make college students’ security their precedence, I hope that on the very least any girls who practice there or are in search of a spot to coach see this and are capable of make an informed determination earlier than they to place their security into the fingers of Actuality of Wrestling.”
Outdoors of ROW, Rose has been wrestling reveals now with native Texas indie promotions, earlier AEW Darkish, and most not too long ago appeared on ROH TV. She was defeated by Billie Starkz on Feb. 3 beneath the title Araya Thorn.
