Who is Joey Ryan's ex-wife Laura James? A look at his viral proposal, failed marriage and sexual assault scandal
A wrestling event scheduled for this month to raise money for a charity was canceled on Tuesday, March 2, after it became public that indie wrestler Joey Ryan, who is facing sexual assault allegations, was involved in it. The show, titled Wrestling 4 Women’s Charity was advertised to take place on Saturday, March 20 in Jackson, Tennessee.
But fans spotted Ryan on the poster and discovered that the owner of the event is listed as “Bar Wrestling,” which happens to be the name of the wrestling company that he owned. Following this, the event was canceled. Ryan, born Joseph Ryan Meehan, has been out of the wrestling spotlight since the #SpeakingOut allegations against him last year.
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Sexual assault allegations against Joey Ryan
As part of the #SpeakingOut movement this summer, Ryan was accused by several women of sexual assault and harassment. After attempts to apologize and rationalize his behavior were rebuffed, he deactivated his Twitter account and shut down Bar Wrestling. He was subsequently fired from Impact Wrestling as well. He released a one-hour video on YouTube further attempting to tell his side of the story, but he later deleted it. On June 21, 2020, he allegedly shut down Bar Wrestling following at least 18 sexual assault allegations. On September 24, 2020, Ryan filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against three of his accusers for defamation, in which he stated he has lost upwards of $20,000 a month.
Who is Joey Ryan's ex-wife Laura James?
In February 2016, Ryan got engaged to his girlfriend, fellow wrestler Laura James, after proposing to her during their intergender match at Finest City Wrestling in San Diego.
The video clip of the proposal went viral and the couple made appearances on various news outlets, including a feature on ESPN SportsCenter. Nine months later, in November 2016, the couple tied the knot.
But after two years of marriage in October 2018, the two separated, before filing for divorce in June 2019. James filed for divorce from Ryan, citing "irreconcilable differences". James is also seen in the Peaches music video for 'Close Up', and has wrestled on the Puscifer Money Shot Round #2 Tour under the ring names Alacrana Plata (Silver Scorpion) and Dama Fina.
What is Joey Ryan's net worth?
According to Popular Bio, Ryan's net worth is estimated to be between $1 and 5 million.