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| Chikara has lowered the boom on Gulak, but will all companies get rid of all abusers? |
Over the weekend, a Twitter account called @pwwhistleblower emerged to "[expose] predators in professional wrestling." Their first target was a doozy, or at least the accusations levied against him were doozies:
For those who don't know, Rory Gulak is an indie wrestler in the Northeast who has worked a whole hell of a lot for Chikara. If you're new to this blog, Chikara markets itself heavily to children. So a guy who has been accused of possession of child pornography works for a company that wants to evangelize pro wrestling to children. While there's no real evidence that has been shown to the public (and really, who would want to see child pornography out in the open, really?), a few people have corroborated the claims, one who has spoken to one of the alleged victims. Additionally, the police have been notified. While police action has been pitifully ineffective at apprehending and prosecuting rapists, what else can someone do other than take vigilante action, which would also put them in danger of being processed by the police? It's one of those things where you don't know what you should do.Numerous sources have reported pro wrestler Rory Gulak, of Philadelphia, for a number of heinous acts, including, but not limited to, the alleged possession and viewing of child pornography.— Pwwhistleblower (@pwwhistleblower) January 4, 2020
Gulak is not the only wrestler or person in wrestling who has endangered the safety of not only his peers but of fans. However, companies like Chikara and Pizza Party Wrestling have taken action to cut ties with him, which, while not praiseworthy because it's necessary, is far more than what other companies have done with other wrestlers. Moose lost out on a WWE contract because of a domestic violence arrest which led to nothing but that WWE dismissal, but it didn't stop every other company in America from booking him. Sami Callihan was rewarded for a Combat Zone Wrestler accusing him of severe domestic violence during their time together with the book for that company. Michael Elgin, well, the story in Michael Elgin has been told ad nauseam in the last few years, and he still gets high-profile bookings.
SHLAK, Rich Swann, Bram, Will Ospreay, Chasyn Rance, Teddy Hart, the list goes on and on and companies will still book happily book them. One would think that child pornography would be the line and Gulak would never see a significant booking again, but Rude Boy Riley, another wrestler arrested for child pornography possession, had a booker planning on giving him a redemption booking. If you entertain a small-minded and cruel person, you will have someone go to bat for you no matter how heinous the thing you did and didn't rehabilitate for.
Wrestling companies have started coming out, places not only like Chikara and Pizza Party, but also Black Label Pro and Limitless Wrestling among other have released statements on Twitter that they will do their best to keep the abusers out of their rings. However, they all need to keep the same energy with the other abuser types like Callihan and Elgin as they do with the layup in Gulak. Too often in wrestling do companies brush aside accusations because of a flimsy idea of brotherhood in the locker room. They either don't believe victims, or in some cases, they don't think what the wrestlers do is wrong because they feel the same way.
If your reaction to this is "well WHY DO YOU WANNA COST ONE OF THE BOYS A PAYDAY?" then you miss the point. You cannot, absolutely cannot at all wait for the criminal justice system to get these wrestlers all the way outta here, because its record in convicting and rehabilitating these kinds of people is horrendous at best. The only way to work is community action. If you want to be part of the community, you have to adhere to standards, and if you can't cut the muster, you're out. That would go for wrestler and for fans alike. If you want to cape for anyone of these wrestlers who have done grave things without paying, then you can join them on the outside looking in.
Is all of this easier said than done? Absolutely. Callihan, for example, is in the brain trust at Impact Wrestling and runs at least one promotion in the Midwest. Elgin has a school. SHLAK has the protection of perhaps the indie with the most cred going right now, Game Changer Wrestling. Rance has his own school and family members in local law enforcement. This isn't easy, and I'm skeptical that the scene can get cleaned up in my lifetime. That being said, it takes a concerted effort to get started. Blackballing Gulak, no matter who his brother is, is a start, but it's not even a big first step. It starts with dropping bookings of guys like Hart whose girlfriends mysteriously go missing.
Bernie Sanders has become a prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic nomination because he has a grassroots campaign behind him. While the top has the resources to make sweeping changes, they have too much inertia to have the will to make them. Wrestling isn't going to become a safe place because of a WWE mandate. It's not going to clean up because someone like Bret Lauderdale or Ian Rotten has a change of heart and starts vetting talent for this kind of thing. It has to come about by pressure from the fans. Sadly, the only language most promoters listen to is that of money. When they see that the only people who will support their endeavors booking an abuser are the mouthbreathers who go into hock in order to buy replica title belts, they'll change their tune.
