As a former star of PWG and other indie promotions, Joey Ryan has not been seen in wrestling in years.
He was released by Impact wrestler and blackballed from the wrestling industry in 2020, due to allegations from the “Speaking Out” movement, which proved fatal for his career.
However, recent news has come out about Joey Ryan about a new career he has forged himself.
He has left the wrestling industry but found himself a new job, while still holding out hope for a return to wrestling despite the litany of sexual crimes he was accused of.
What happened to Joey Ryan?
All In
Joey Ryan was a key part of the legendary All In (2018) show, but was one of the few men not signed to AEW following the event.
It was reported that AEW did offer Joey Ryan a contract following the event, but that the independent star rejected the chance to sign.
He did not confirm he turned them down, but spoke around the idea during an interview in 2019 with Not Sam Wrestling Podcast.
“It’s just finding out what can play and what can’t play. They are obviously a new company and they’re still figuring it out as they go, but as it came to decisions with them we realized that they are going to be successful without me, I am going to be successful without them.”
“Maybe our paths will cross at some point but there is no urgency to it and neither one needs the other right now. It would be nice to work with my friends but it is not a necessity right now until they figure out and learn their own product with how they present it,”
However, it has been reported that Tony Khan is not a fan of Joey Ryan’s in-ring work.
His intergender wrestling gimmick is not one tolerated by AEW, not his overtly-sexual gimmick.
His “Penis Druids”, mocking The Undertaker’s iconic entrance, is also one of the reasons why Tony Khan did not pursue signing Joey Ryan for All Elite Wrestling.
Tony Khan also promised to remove any AEW wrestlers from shows promoted by Ryan, following an attempted comeback to wrestling in 2021.
Speaking Out Movement
In 2020, the Speaking Out movement took over wrestling and revealed a number of sexual assaults taking place in wrestling.
Indie stars like Marty Scurll and Jimmy Havoc were revealed as those who commit these alleged crimes, losing their high-profile roles in ROH and AEW, respectively.
Joey Ryan was another man accused of various levels of sexual assault, which was made worse by his overtly-sexual gimmick on the indie scene.
Numerous women accused him of sexual assault, with enough validity to cost him contracts with companies like Impact, Progress and Rev Pro.
He soon deleted his Twitter account and went into hiding, staying away from the wrestling world.
Joey Ryan hoped that the heat would die down, but as previously mentioned, the likes of Tony Khan did not forget his past transgressions.
Joey Ryan new job
Joey Ryan has not been seen in a wrestling ring for quite some time, and many wrestling fans were not aware of what he was doing with his life since being black balled from the industry.
However, a recent photo has brought to light the new career in which the former PWG World Champion has found himself in. While he may not be able to get booked as a wrestler anymore, he has still found work in the entertainment industry in recent years.
Twitter user @Mr_GQ_Cantu snapped a photo of a man presumed to be Joey Ryan at Disneyland Florida. The Tweet said that Ryan was working as a handler on the Jungle Cruise ride, a far cry from having a huge return at All In to attack AEW star “Hangman Adam Page”
“Just incase anyone wanted a Joey Ryan update, he’s working as a handler at the Jungle Cruise attraction in Disney Land. Not joking lol” The Twitter said, apparently mocking Ryan and his new career.
Joey Ryan remains out of wrestling and has long been thought of as not a good fir for AEW. Tony Khan is reportedly not a fan of the wrestler, whose “penis druids” were the most embarrassing part of the show at the famous “All In” event in August 2018.