.jpg) Ryan in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joseph Ryan Meehan[10] (1979-11-07)November 7, 1979 (age 46)[11] |
Spouse | |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Stardong[1] Chase Walker[2] Forsaken[3] Joey Blalock[3] Joey Hollywood[4] Joey Ryan Joey Shadow[5] Juicy Joey Joseph P. Ryan[6] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 222 lb (101 kg) |
| Billed from | Hollywood, California[7] |
| Trained by | Bobby Bradley Bryan Danielson Tom Howard Brian Kendrick[8] Inoki Dojo |
| Debut | September 1, 2000[8] |
| Retired | June 2020[9] |
Joseph Ryan Meehan[10] (born November 7, 1979),[3] is an American actor, writer, producer,[12] retiredprofessional wrestler and promoter. He has been a member ofSAG-AFTRA since 2014.
During his early years as a professional wrestler, he founded the Southern California promotionPro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) with five other wrestlers, where he held thePWG World andPWG World Tag Team Championships. He later appeared on theindependent circuit, wrestling for promotions such asRing of Honor,Wrestling Society X,Major League Wrestling andDDT Pro-Wrestling (where he held theIronman Heavymetalweight Championship 43 times). Ryan also wrestled for the TV seriesLucha Underground,Impact Wrestling and theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA), becomingNWA World Tag Team Champion withKarl Anderson in the latter. InNWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, Ryan served as headbooker, and he was the promoter of Bar Wrestling. He was known for using his penis as part of his moves, most notably, the YouPorn-Plex.[13]
During theSpeaking Out movement in June 2020, multiple women outside of employment from Impact Wrestling, publicly alleged sexual misconduct against Meehan and he was subsequently released from his contract. Meehan has denied the allegations and filed lawsuits against some of the women for defamation and Impact Wrestling for not performing a contractually obligated investigation.
Meehan is the youngest of four brothers and he remembers watching WrestleMania 2 live with his family when he was six years old. After seeing Jake Roberts use his snake on his opponent, Meehan became emotionally invested in wrestling. His favourite wrestlers growing up were Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat and the British Bulldogs.[14] However, he stopped watching wrestling in early adolescence until the mid 1990s, because his school friends were fans. When WWF came to a live event he and his friends were attending in Anaheim, a man gave them tickets to an independent wrestling show. After attending that show, he decided to train.[14] Meehan started his professional wrestling training in February 2000 withJesse Hernandez'sEmpire Wrestling Federation in San Bernardino, CA under Bobby Bradley. During this time, Ryan (billed as Joey Shadow) was part of a gothic stable called The Underworld, teaming with fellow trainees Sid Shadow, The Nomad andStitches.[5] He then went on to Rick Bassman'sUltimate Pro Wrestling in 2001 in Huntington Beach, CA and later El Segundo, CA where he trained underTom Howard andBrian Kendrick to whom he credits with most of his training. He returned to training in 2004 at theInoki Dojo in Santa Monica, CA underBryan Danielson.[15]
During his early years, Ryan became a regular at many southern California promotions including EWF andUPW where he trained, as well as Revolution Pro Wrestling where he had his first matches againstSuper Dragon and also competed againstMike Quackenbush and had his first inter-gender matches withSara Del Rey.[8] His first national exposure came when he was brought into Gary Yap's EPIC Pro Wrestling where he has matches againstXtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW) alum The Messiah,Frankie Kazarian andBrian Kendrick on high profiled cards featuring names likeSabu,New Jack,Vampiro,Christopher Daniels,Samoa Joe and Bryan Danielson.[8]
After training at theInoki Dojo, Ryan received his first television exposure from NJPW-USA Toukon Fighting Spirit.[16] Although mostly used as an enhancement talent, he was able to get exposure by competing in matches against Bryan Danielson withCM Punk on commentary.[17] On May 19, 2006, he competed in The Best of American Super Juniors Tournament, however losing toRoderick Strong in the first round.[18]
Joey Ryan is one of the six founders of SoCal promotionPro Wrestling Guerrilla, collectively known as the "PWG Six". PWG was formed when the founders grew tired of arguing with promoters, feeling they knew more about the inner workings of professional wrestling and could therefore promote and book shows more effectively. Meehan said that they went in with low expectations, never exceeding more than one show but if enough money was attained, the production of a second show would be the goal.[14] He began in PWG as part of theX-Foundation with Funky Billy Kim and"The Professional" Scott Lost. They teamed together at PWG's first show, losing to the team ofAdam Pearce,Hardcore Kidd, and Al Katrazz.[19] Ryan then took part in theBad Ass Mother 3000 tournament to determine the firstPWG Champion. Ryan made it to the finals, but lost toFrankie Kazarian.[20]
Ryan then teamed with Scott Lost in theTango & Cash Invitational tournament for thePWG Tag Team Championship. They made it to the semi-finals, but lost toSuper Dragon andAmerican Dragon.[21] Ryan and Lost won the titles at the next show by defeating inaugural championsHomicide andB-Boy,[22] but lost them in their first defense againstQuicksilver andChris Bosh.[23] Ryan continued teaming with the X-Foundation, and regained the tag team titles with Scott Lost on June 19, 2004, atRocktoberfest.[24] Problems began within the X-Foundation, leading to a ladder match between Joey Ryan and Scott Lost for the titles. Scott Lost won the match and chose Chris Bosh as his new partner.[25][26] AtUse Your Illusion 4, Ryan lost a 60 Minute Iron Man match to Super Dragon.[27]
After a brief absence, Ryan began teaming with Scott Lost and Chris Bosh, leading to uncertainty over his actions. He would then set out to prove that he is the best technical wrestler. He challenged and defeated wrestlers known for their great technical skills, such asAlex Shelley,[28]Claudio Castagnoli,[29]Rocky Romero,[30] andChris Hero.[31] Though he won the matches, Ryan had to cheat and use help from Lost or Bosh to win, since he would usually be outwrestled each match. On December 3, 2005, atChanukah Chaos (The C's Are Silent), Joey Ryan beatKevin Steen for the PWG Championship after Super Dragon, who was feuding with the champion, gave Steen twoPsycho Drivers.[32] He made his first defense atCZW'sCage of Death 7 againstEl Generico.[33] Ryan began defeating a number of wrestlers using some under handed tactic or a sheer stroke of luck on his behalf. It was around this time that Ryan changed his appearance to resembleTom Selleck fromMagnum, P.I., which included a big moustache. He even changed his finisher name from the Duff Drop to the Moustache Ride. Some of the wrestlers he has defeated includeChris Kanyon,[34]Human Tornado,[35] Chris Bosh,[36]A.J. Styles,[37]Emil Sitoci,[38]Jonny Storm,[39] Kevin Steen,[40]Chris Sabin,[41] Super Dragon,Necro Butcher,[42] Frankie Kazarian,[43]Davey Richards,[44] and B-Boy.[45] Ryan became at the time the longest reigning champion, and made the title a world championship in the process by defending it inEurope.
He went on to form a stable known asThe Dynasty, consisting of himself,Scorpio Sky, Scott Lost, and Chris Bosh. The four screwed the then PWG World Tag Team Champs Super Dragon and Davey Richards, ending their dominant reign as tag champs. Ryan would proceed to give Super Dragon aMoustache Ride through two tables, putting him on the shelf. After holding the PWG World Championship for a little over a year, winning usually due to cheating and interference, Ryan lost the title to Human Tornado in a Guerrilla Warfare match on January 13, 2007, atBased on a True Story.[46] On January 27, 2008, Ryan and Scott Lost were awarded the PWG World Tag Team Championship after the titles were stripped off Super Dragon and Davey Richards.[47] They eventually lost the belts toEl Generico andKevin Steen on March 21 at1.21 Gigawatts.[48] During the summer of 2009, Ryan attempted to stop Chris Hero's reign as the PWG World Champion in order to retain his record as the longest reigning PWG World Champion in history, but after he failed to regain the title in two separate title matches, Hero broke Ryan's record on August 17, 2009.[49][50] Shortly afterwards Ryan turnedface and on September 5, entered the2010 Battle of Los Angeles, defeatingChuck Taylor in his first round match.[51] The following night Ryan defeatedAustin Aries and Claudio Castagnoli to advance to the finals, where he defeated Chris Hero to win the 2010 Battle of Los Angeles.[52] After his win, Ryan dubbed himself "The Hollywood Submission Machine" and adopted a new submission finishing maneuver, theEnd Scene.[53][54] When Davey Richards was after the tournament stripped of the PWG World Championship, Ryan and the three other Battle of Los Angeles semi-finalists,Brandon Gatson, Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli, were placed in a four-way match to determine a new champion.[55] On October 9, 2010, atThe Curse of Guerrilla Island, Ryan failed in his attempt to regain the PWG World Championship, when he was defeated by Claudio Castagnoli.[56][57] Ryan received a one–on–one shot at the PWG World Championship on April 9, 2011, but was again defeated by Castagnoli.[58] Afterwards, Ryan began regularly teaming with the returning Scorpio Sky and on August 20, the two defeated the RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime and Johnny Yuma) to become the number one contenders to the PWG World Tag Team Championship.[59] On September 10, Ryan and Sky failed to capture the PWG World Tag Team Championship fromThe Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson).[60] After signing a contract withTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Ryan wrestled his PWG farewell match on December 1, 2012, where he was defeated by Scorpio Sky.[61][62]
Following his release from TNA, Ryan returned to PWG at the promotion's tenth anniversary event on August 9, 2013, teaming withPeter Avalon andRyan Taylor in a six-person opener, where they were defeated by B-Boy,Candice LeRae andWillie Mack.[63] On August 30, Ryan entered the2013 Battle of Los Angeles, but was eliminated from the tournament in his first round match byDrake Younger.[64] The following day, Ryan formed the Best Friends stable with Chuck Taylor andTrent? as the three defeated B-Boy,Tommaso Ciampa and Willie Mack in a six-man tag team match.[65] Ryan also formed a partnership with Candice LeRae, which led to the two unsuccessfully challenging The Young Bucks for the PWG World Tag Team Championship on October 19.[66]
On July 27, 2014, Ryan and LeRae defeated The Young Bucks in a Guerrilla Warfare match to become the new PWG World Tag Team Champions.[67] They lost the title to Monster Mafia (Ethan Page andJosh Alexander) on May 22, 2015, in the opening round of the2015 DDT4.[68]
Ryan has appeared in several matches as enhancement talent for theWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), competing againstRosey,Sylvan,[8]The Gymini,[8]Mark Henry,[8]John Morrison,Super Crazy and two times againstBig Show.[8] On August 14, 2011, Ryan made an appearance atSummerSlam, portraying a fan during a match betweenMark Henry andSheamus.[59] Two days later, Ryan wrestled adark match at theSmackDown tapings inBakersfield, California, losing toBo Rotunda.[69]
Wrestling Society X (WSX) was a short-livedprofessional wrestling-based television series produced in 2006 by Big Vision Entertainment. The weekly television series formerly aired onMTV,MTV2, MTV Tr3s, and over a dozen other MTV outlets throughout the world. WSXtra, an extra program featuring WSX matches and interviews not broadcast on television, was available on the promotion's MTV website andVideo on Demand. Ryan was featured in a team withDisco Machine and together they formedThat 70's Team.[70] The duo instantly became cult favorites of the fans of the show. Ryan is most noted for his applying ofbaby oil, use of his inhaler and getting his wrestling trunks pulled down revealing his thong underwear all while in the ring during the show. The team is featured on episode 2 against TeamDragon Gate (Masato Yoshino andGenki Horiguchi), on episode 3 against D.I.F.H. (Jimmy Jacobs andTyler Black), on episode 4 againstRuckus andBabi Slymm, on episode 6 against D.I.F.H. (Jimmy Jacobs andTyler Black), on episode 8 against Trailer Park Boys (Nate Webb andJosh Raymond) andQuicksilver &Matt Classic and on episode 9 against D.I.F.H. (Jimmy Jacobs andTyler Black).
In 2006, Ryan began regularly working for David Marquez's NWA brand, teaming withKarl Anderson to formThe Real American Heroes. Ryan and Anderson entered into theCopa de Lucha tournament for the NWA inLas Vegas,Nevada representingAmerica and reaching the finals before losing to theMexico team ofLos Luchas which began a feud between the two teams that lasted nearly two years. The return match in Las Vegas at theFiesta Lucha event was aFlag Match that saw Ryan and Anderson align themselves withAdam Pearce and his managerC. Edward Vander Pyle. The Real American Heroes and Los Luchas faced off inCage Matches,First Blood Matches and more at events inPhoenix, Arizona,Hammond, Indiana,Kissimmee, Florida and throughout Texas and California. At times, The Real American Heroes incited near riots from the crowds, most notably in Las Vegas, NV and in Houston, TX.[71] On July 7, 2007, Ryan and Anderson defeated the teams ofBilly Kidman andSean Waltman andSicodelico Jr. and Incognito to become the first post-TNA-eraNWA World Tag Team Champions. After several attempts, Los Luchas captured the titles away from Ryan and Anderson on February 10, 2008, in Las Vegas. Soon after losing the titles, Anderson began working full-time forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ryan went on as a singles competitor in the NWA. He has had multiple shots at theNWA World Heavyweight Championship facing off against the likes ofBlue Demon Jr., Adam Pearce andColt Cabana only to fall short each time. In 2010, he was a part of the launch ofNWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood and heavily featured with standout matches againstT. J. Perkins andScorpio Sky. In early 2011, he took over booking for the TV show which lasted until August when he had a falling out and left the company.[13] He returned to the company in late 2011. In 2012, Ryan seemingly rejoined the tag team ranks in the NWA by forming an alliance with Johnny Goodtime.
Joey Ryan is a well traveled veteran of the independent scene and along with those mentioned above, he has also made multiple appearances for such promotions as Revolution Pro Wrestling (Rev Pro),All Pro Wrestling (APW),Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW),Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South (IWA-MS),Chikara, Anarchy Championship Wrestling (ACW),Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW),Full Impact Pro (FIP), Mach One Wrestling (M1W), International Wrestling Cartel (IWC),Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), Pro Wrestling Bushido and more.[3] In 2008, Joey Ryan became an instructor at Rick Bassman's Ultimate University, the wrestling school for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW).[72] Ryan was brought in as an assistant trainer on theCMT television seriesHulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling.[73] In 2009, he became a trainer at Mach One Wrestling's Wrestling 101.[74] Ryan has also become a staple at Lucha Va Voom, a hybrid variety show of wrestling, burlesque dancing and comedy based out of Los Angeles. In addition to their regular Los Angeles shows, he has toured the country with the company including Chicago, New York, Boston, Baltimore, Seattle among other stops. Ryan plays a variation of his "Magnum" character but uses Rupert Holmes' "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" as his entrance music and smokes cigarettes during matches and applies baby oil to his body before he competes.[75] In 2011, Ryan was featured as a trainer onRuPaul's Drag Race Season 4, Episode 2.[76] In October 2011, Meehan took part in the first season tapings ofWrestling Retribution Project (WRP), where he performed as Chase Walker, with actress Trish LaFache as his valet.[2] Meehan traveled to India in late 2011 and early 2012 to take part inRing Ka King, which was created byJeff Jarrett and backed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where Dave Lagana (both worked in CWFH and ROH) worked.[14][77] In the promotion he performed asJoey Hollywood, often teaming withTony Broadway.[4] On July 28, 2012, Ryan participated in a Vendetta Pro Wrestling event inLompoc, California, participating in the main event for the vacant Vendetta Pro Heavyweight title, losing toChavo Guerrero Jr.[78] On December 7, 2012, he lost the EWF Heavyweight Championship to Brandon Gaston.
On July 21, 2013, Ryan returned toChampionship Wrestling from Hollywood (now, outside NWA) as theCWFH International Television Championship (also MAV Television Championship). On November 3, 2013, Ryan defeated Drake Younger to retain the title. Ryan lost the title against Ryan Taylor on May 11, 2014. However, he regained the title at Red Carpet Rumble on June 15, 2014. on June 14, 2014, at House of Hardcore 6, Ryan defeated Tommasco Ciampa.
On June 21, 2015, Ryan traveled to Australia, where he competed in an 8-man tournament for the Queensland Wrestling Alliance to crown the QWA Global Champion, which Ryan won.[79]
On September 19, 2015, Ryan made his Japanese debut for theDDT Pro-Wrestling promotion, defeating Tomomitsu Matsunaga.[80] During his tour of DDT, Ryan took part in a comedy spot, where he used hispenis to overpowerDanshoku Dino. Video of the spot went viral and led to Ryan being featured on theNew York Daily News,Rolling Stone andVice, while also getting him a sponsorship deal withYouPorn Sports.[81] Ryan returned to DDT in May 2016, winning the comedicIronman Heavymetalweight Championship, which he then took on an extended tour of the United States, losing and winning it multiple times over the following months.[82] When Ryan returned to Japan in August 2016, he was a 22-time Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion.[82] He has since won the title multiple times, including once on March 20, 2017, atJudgement 2017: DDT 20th Anniversary.[82][83] In March 2017, Ryan brought the title back to the United States for a tour.[84]
Ryan founded his own promotion, Bar Wrestling, in 2017.[85]
On April 5, 2019, Ryan hosted aWrestleCon-branded show calledJoey Ryan's Penis Party.[86]
On November 10, 2019, Ryan won the vacant Kansas Wrestling Revolution Championship by defeating King Money in the main event of"Wrestleversary" The promotion's one year anniversary show. During the match Ryan flipped 7 people (One Percent members, King Money, Merrick McMichaels, Havoc, The Outlaw, Prince Mahalli, Colt Killbane, and Trixie) using his signature move "The Dick Flip".
In April 2009, Ryan appeared in severalROH Video Wires, promoting his debut.[87][88][89] Ryan made his official debut as a part ofThe Embassy on May 9, teaming withJimmy Rave andClaudio Castagnoli to defeatBrent Albright,Colt Cabana andErick Stevens. He made his first appearance onRing of Honor Wrestling television on September 18, losing to Cabana.[90] Ryan would then go on to defeatRoderick Strong in his second match on ROH on HDNet, with help fromPrince Nana.[91] He would go on tofeud with Colt Cabana and on several occasions join fellow Embassy member Claudio Castagnoli battling against his rival Brent Albright. Ryan would eventually begin a rivalry withNecro Butcher including aNo Disqualification match on November 6, 2009.[92] During his feud with Necro Butcher, Erick Stevens would turnheel and join The Embassy and Ryan and Stevens would be frequently featured as a team in tag team matches. The Ryan and Stevens duo faced teams such asBriscoe Brothers andPlayer Uno andPlayer Dos but their most prolific matches came against the team of Necro Butcher andEddie Kingston including aStreet Fight at the 8th anniversary show on February 13, 2010.[92]
After Ring Ka King, his friend Dave Lagana presented him toAl Snow andBruce Prichard, who decided to use him in Gut Check.[14] On May 24, 2012, Ryan made an appearance onTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling's (TNA)Impact Wrestling television program, losing to Austin Aries in aGut Check Challenge.[93] The following week, the Gut Check judges decided not to sign Ryan to a TNA contract based on his performance.[94] Before the match, Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff told him that they like him and he want to use him in the future.[14] He was a heel in the promo and insulted Taz, who was upset due to his attitude. Ryan returned to TNA on the June 28 episode ofImpact Wrestling, interruptingTaeler Hendrix's Gut Check evaluation, before being escorted out of the arena.[95] On the July 3 edition of Vendetta Pro Wrestling's "Vendetta Pro Radio", Ryan was a guest host, when he was confronted live on air by TNA Gut Check judgeTaz.[96] Ryan made his next appearance on July 26, punching Gut Check judgeAl Snow during another Gut Check Challenge match.[97] Ryan again appeared on the August 30 episode ofImpact Wrestling, confronting Snow with a megaphone and throwing a drink in his face, before being chased out of the building.[98] Ryan and Snow had another confrontation the following week, which ended with Snow slapping Ryan.[99] On the October 4 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Ryan met Snow in the ring and received an apology for the slap, before signing what he thought was a TNA contract. Snow then revealed that Ryan had actually signed a contract for a match between the two atBound for Glory.[100]
On October 14 atBound for Glory, Ryan defeated Snow, following interference fromMatt Morgan, to earn a TNA contract.[101] On the October 25 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Ryan and Morgan entered the ring, afterRob Van Dam had successfully defended theTNA X Division Championship againstZema Ion, with Morgan hitting him with theCarbon Footprint, after which Ryan posed with his title belt.[102] The following week, Ryan defeated Van Dam in a non-title match with help from Morgan.[103] On November 11 atTurning Point, Ryan unsuccessfully challenged Van Dam for the X Division Championship.[104] On December 9 atFinal Resolution, Ryan and Morgan unsuccessfully challenged Chavo Guerrero Jr. andHernandez for theTNA World Tag Team Championship, after losing to them via disqualification.[105] Ryan and Morgan challenged Guerrero and Hernandez again on January 13, 2013, atGenesis, but were again unsuccessful in winning their titles.[106] After not being seen for several weeks, Ryan returned on March 10 atLockdown, losing toJoseph Park in a singles match.[107] On July 3, 2013, Ryan was released from his contract, along with several other TNA talents includingCrimson,Madison Rayne andChristian York.[108] On October 21, 2019, Ryan re-signed with the company after appearing in the Bound for Gold gauntlet match atBound for Glory.[109] During the following months, he started a stable with Rob Van Dam and Keira Forbes called Cancel Culture, changing his ring name to Joseph P Ryan.
On June 22, 2020, it was announced that Ryan's contract with Impact was terminated.[110][111]
On December 14, 2015, it was announced that Ryan signed withLucha Underground and would appear on the show's second season.[112] His character was introduced as an undercover Los Angeles police officer, and the new partner of fellow undercover officerCortez Castro (although their cover will be that they are enemies). He lost his debut match on the February 17, 2016 episode ofLucha Underground againstCage. On the May 25 episode ofLucha Underground, Ryan defeatedMascarita Sagrada.[113] During the third season, Ryan allied himself with Dario Cuerto, revealing Castro is a cop. They started a feud, ending in a Police match with an Aztec Medallion on the line. During season 4, Ryan turned face and worked with Ivelisse and Sonny Kiss. He was released on March 26, 2019.[114]
In March 2021, a poster for an event called Wrestling 4 Women Charity circulated online featuring Ryan and several other wrestlers.[115] It was subsequently revealed that Ryan's Bar Wrestling was involved with promoting the event.All Elite Wrestling (AEW) promoterTony Khan stated that he would pull the previously allowed AEW talent to appear if Ryan was involved. ATwitter account for the event stated thatFITE TV would be airing the show, however despite an email confirming their participation, FITE TV denied that they were carrying the event. Facing pressures and attacks from social media, the account subsequently issued an apology, cancelled the event and it was subsequently deleted.[116] Ryan denied that he was "trying to come back to wrestling" and said he had been asked to "wrestle a good friend as a way to go out and gain some closure".[117] He is currently not actively wrestling.[118]
In 2025, Ryan was announced to wrestle for a new promotion called Portland Wrestling, but it was cancelled after backlash from fans.[119]
Ryan's wrestling persona was described by theLos Angeles Times as a "macho, mustachioed playboy who wore Speedos and sunglasses."[120] Ryan uses the "YouPorn Plex" as a signature move, acrotch flip with theatrics.[121] The move, also known as the penis flip, sees the opponent grab Ryan's crotch before Ryan supposedly uses his penis to flip them over.[122]Ryan stated on episodes 251 of the Dude Soup podcast that his persona's look is inspired by 1980s characters such asMagnum P.I.[123]
In February 2016, Meehan got engaged to his girlfriend, fellow wrestlerLaura James, after proposing to her during theirintergender match at Finest City Wrestling inSan Diego.[124] The couple married in November 2016. Meehan and James separated in October 2018, before filing for divorce in June 2019.[125]
On February 6, 2019, it was reported that Joey Ryan,Ivelisse Vélez,Thunder Rosa andEl Hijo del Fantasma (King Cuerno) had collectively filed aclass-action lawsuit in California against the El Rey Network and the Baba-G production company behind Lucha Underground. The group claimed that their Lucha Underground contracts were not legal under California law, unfairly restricting their ability to work in their chosen profession.[126][127] On March 28, 2019, it was reported that the lawsuit was settled with the plaintiffs released from Lucha Underground.[114]
In June 2020, a woman accused Meehan of sexual misconduct. After the initial accusation surfaced, Meehan posted a message on his Twitter account, apologizing for the possibility of invading anyone’s personal space. After that message was posted, a number of women posted on Twitter allegations of misconduct or unwanted sexual advances.[128] Though no investigations have ever taken place, wrestlersJoey Janela andRyan Nemeth (former roommate of Meehan), who previously worked for Meehan at Bar Wrestling, have spoken against Meehan.[85]
Fearing potential backlash, Bar Wrestling's venue, Bootleg Theater, ended their relationship with the company due to the allegations. After Bar Wrestling deactivated their social media accounts, several people told theSoCal Uncensored website the promotion has ceased operations.[85] On June 23, 2020, after facing online pressure, Impact Wrestling announced they terminated his contract as a result of the allegations.[129] Wanting to avoid any collateral damage, he was also edited out of every episode ofBeing the Elite in which he appeared.[116]
Meehan addressed the allegations in an hour-long video posted on July 18, 2020. He has denied nearly every accusation against him, showing messages between himself and the women which he says shows evidence to dispute the claims made.[130]
On September 24, Meehan filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against multiple accusers and one journalist for defamation, in which he has stated he has lost upwards of $20,000 a month. The lawsuit includes loss of followers on social media, loss of revenue from various projects, merchandise, wrestling, and various other revenue streams; and multi-million dollar monetary relief.[131] The lawsuit also states that Meehan wants defamatory statements retracted and or deleted.[131] He filed another lawsuit in October, suing Impact Wrestling for $10 million for allegedly breaching his contract by not conducting a standard contractual obligated investigation before firing him after the allegations were made against him.[132] Meehan won adefault judgment against one of his accusers on January 20, 2021,[133] but a judge dismissed a lawsuit involving three accusers without prejudice in February due to lack service, meaning Meehan retains the right to file against them again.[134] However, Meehan dropped most of the lawsuits after a judge in one of the cases ruled that the "Plaintiff offers his declaration to show that the entirety of the parties' sexual encounter was consensual. (Meehan Decl., 11 17-24, Exh. 1.) Plaintiff also provides evidence of messages between the parties to show that Defendant made attempts to contact Plaintiff after their encounter to, among other things, see each other again. (Meehan Decl., 11 25-31, Exh. 2-8. Though the proffered evidence may lead to the inference that Defendant was not a victim of sexual abuse by Plaintiff, the evidence is insufficient to show that Defendant acted with actual malice. The fact that Defendant did not attempt to leave during the parties' sexual encounter or attempted to meet Defendant afterwards are insufficient to show actual malice." Meehan then stated that the dismissal of the lawsuit was eye opening for him and that despite different recollections of the events, his accusers have the right to their opinions. The only lawsuit that Meehan intends to pursue is the breach of contract one against Impact.[117]
On March 8, 2021 in a statement released toSoCal Uncensored, Meehan stated that while there was never any police involvement, that after learning about some of his past problematic behavior, he has taken it upon himself to return to theChristian Church that he was raised in and begun attending weeklyTwelve-step program meetings both in-person and onZoom to address his addictions of intrigue and validation and the emotional high he gets from pursuing women.[117]
Meehan worked atDisneyland for three months in a "probationary status" before he was dismissed in June 2022.[120]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Jesse Ventura for President?[135] | Wrestler | Short film |
| 2012 | RuPaul's Drag Race[136] | Himself | Episode: "WTF!: Wrestling's Trashiest Fighters" |
| 2014 | A-Holes Anonymous[137] | Matt | Episode: “Happy Birthday to Me” |
| 2014 | On Your Mark Show with Mark E. Xtreme[138] | Himself | Episode: “Joey Ryan” |
| 2015 | Wrestling Isn't Wrestling[139] | American Muscle Guy | Short film |
| 2015 | Fuller House (TV series)[140] | Crazy Chicken | Episode: "The Legend of El Explosivo" |
| 2015 | The Mountain Goats “The Legend of Chavo Guerrero”[141] | Wrestler | Music Video |
| 2016 | Red Light Diaries[142] | John The John | Episode: "Rapunzel, Rapunzel" |
| 2017 | GLOW[143] | Mr. Monopoly | Episode: "Debbie Does Something" |
| 2018 | The 5th Quarter[144] | Love | Episode: “Wrestlestock” |
Jeff Katz's Wrestling Revolution Project taped its first season in Los Angeles this past week. [...] Joey Ryan is a babyface who plays the role of being gay, but is as far from the stereotype gay character in pro wrestling. There are no effeminate mannerisms, it's just noted that he's gay. He has actress Trish LaFache as his valet and uses the name Chase Walker.
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