Why Wrestling
Promotions Should Establish Self-Defense Training For Their Talent
Online safety is becoming more crucial especially when it
regards popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat,
TikTok and X (Formerly Known As Twitter). Within the pro wrestling community, social
media can be an amazing asset for professional wrestlers to promote their gimmick,
matches, merchandise and upcoming shows as well as promoting and building up
their feuds and storylines with the promotions and companies that they work
for. However, a disadvantage of a wrestler engaging in social media is that it
unfortunately makes them more susceptible to bullying, harassment, doxxing,
stalking and gaslighting from others.
On June 3, 2025, while filming was occurring for an episode
of WWE’s NXT show, an incident occurred outside of the WWE Performance Center in
Orlando, Florida, which resulted in multiple arrests being made. One of the
arrests made was reported to be a stalker targeting WWE Superstar, Liv Morgan. Shortly
following that incident, further reports emerged online regarding disturbing threats
being made via social media towards WWE Superstars, Roxanne Perez and Dominik
Mysterio.
Additionally, other professional wrestlers have previously
been victims of stalking including Former WWE Superstar, Sonya Deville. On
Sunday, August 16, 2020, a man from South Carolina named Phillip A. Thomas was
arrested and charged with attempted armed kidnapping, aggravated stalking,
armed burglary of a dwelling and misdemeanor criminal mischief when he broke
into Sonya Deville’s home in Florida. In 2023, Phillip A. Thomas was sentenced
to 15 years in prison for his crimes. During the investigation of his crimes,
it was revealed that Phillip A. Thomas had obsessively been stalking Sonya
Deville on social media for several years despite never meeting or speaking to
her personally. It was also reported that Phillip A. Thomas had spent eight
months planning to kidnap Sonya Deville before he traveled to her home in his
attempt to abduct her and upon his arrest was found with a knife, duct tape and
zip ties.
WWE Superstar, Alexa Bliss has been a victim of prior stalking.
The harassment she has received from stalkers has been so extreme that they
have sent threats to her husband, Ryan Cabrera and have even claimed that they
are the true father of Alexa and Ryan’s daughter. One stalker named William
Flickinger even claimed to be married to Alexa Bliss and went so far as to post
a phony marriage certificate.
In February of 2025, WWE Superstar, Rhea Ripley revealed
that a girl showed up to her home on Valentine’s Day and stood outside the
front door for fifteen minutes. This prompted Rhea Ripley to post on social
media later that month a request for fans to not send or personally deliver fan
mail to her house. It has been publicly made aware that fan mail for any WWE
Superstar should be sent to either WWE Headquarters or the WWE Performance
Center.
In a podcast interview in June of 2023, Former WWE
Superstar, Joy Giovanni revealed she has dealt with online stalkers which has
prompted her to be more protective of her privacy. She recalled one incident
where she had received threats from a stalker who claimed they were going to
come find her. Upon further investigation, Joy Giovanni learned that this
stalker had just been released from a lockdown facility and had been targeting
another victim. Joy Giovanni also discussed being startled by a fan in a hotel
parking lot at night that approached her abruptly while she was getting her
luggage out of her vehicle.
Other victims in the wrestling profession that have dealt
with stalking include WWE Superstars, Brock Lesnar and Asuka, Former TNA
Knockout, Angelina Love and Former WWE Superstars, Maryse, Paige, Lita, Kurt
Angle, Ric Flair and AJ Lee. With stalking becoming a rising concern within the
professional wrestling industry, it prompts the question of what can be done to
help protect wrestlers, managers, ring announcers, referees, valets etc. from
becoming victims. While properly certified security personnel being present at
wrestling events is definitely essential to protecting both fans and talent, it’s
not enough to help protect talents in the professional wrestling industry while
they are traveling to and from events or while they are out in public places where
they may be quickly and easily recognized such as hotels, airports, gas
stations, grocery stores, banks, restaurants, BMV offices or gyms. This is why
companies and promotions instituting and providing mandatory self-defense
training for their talents is a possible way to help their talents feel safer
and more protected both at and outside of wrestling events.
Former WWE Diva, Eve Torres now works as a
jiu-jitsu instructor with the Gracie Academy. She, along with her husband,
Rener Gracie have even led a self-defense seminar previously at the WWE
Performance Center in 2017 for the female WWE Developmental Superstars training
there at the time. This would be great for WWE to make as a mandatory seminar
for their Superstars, both for the main roster and developmental talents. They
could make this either an annual or a quarterly training for every Superstar to
help them feel safer. As for other promotions and companies, both on the
mainstream side and indie side, those promotions and companies can look into
what self-defense classes are available in their areas to help protect their
talents and help further prevent dangerous situations regarding stalkers from
occurring in the future.
