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One month ago, Darren Young made the decision to publically admit that he is gay. This makes him the first openly gay superstar in WWE history. Dozens of current WWE stars and some TNA talent immediately posted messages of support on their Twitter accounts. Even Executive Vice President Stephanie McMahon-Levesque and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon voiced their approval. But historically speaking, things have not gone well for gay wrestlers in the WWE.
Many wrestlers have portrayed flamboyantly gay characters in the ring. But most of them have been heterosexuals, with a lot of those being married to models or future-model wives. Characters like ‘Adorable’ Adrian Adonis would act in an overly effeminate manner to aggravate crowds as villains. Although, a few exceptions saw the wrestler become a cult favourite, like Johnny B. Badd and Rico.
The wrestlers that played these characters had something very important in common. That was because playing a flamboyantly gay character came with a very steep price. They were all notoriously tough, or were skilled boxers or martial artists. While most wrestling fans understood that the wrestlers were just portraying characters, there were some idiots that did not get it. The wrestlers would sometimes get ambushed after shows or in their everyday lives by homophobic thugs.
Here, we take a look at the other openly gay or bisexual wrestlers who have been involved with the WWE.
Pat Paterson
The first Intercontinental Champion has had a very long tenure with WWE. He was plagued by rumours that he was gay throughout his career. He openly denied the rumours until his in-ring career came to an end. But the word slowly spread throughout locker-rooms. Paterson never really admitted publicly that he was gay. He merely allowed the rumour and speculation to become known fact.
Paterson now denies keeping his sexuality a secret at any point in his career. But he knew he had to. He was working in an industry that was notoriously homophobic. There were a lot of people in the locker room who were uncomfortable with wrestling a gay man. Bret Hart recently commented that he was worried each time he had a match with Paterson.
A lot of wrestlers who had short stints in the ‘90’s and early ‘00’s have claimed that Paterson was a “gay bullyâ€. He allegedly influenced the hiring of male wrestlers based on how their bodies looked. He is also accused of bribing younger stars with try-outs and pushes in exchange for sexual favours. However, none of these allegations have ever been confirmed. He was once taken to court, but his accuser dropped all charges when he lost his job with WWE.
At the 2000 ‘King Of The Ring’ pay-per-view, Paterson defended the Hardcore Championship in an Evening Gown match. For this, Paterson and his opponent, Gerald Brisco, competed while dressed in drag. The match was not designed to humiliate or punish either individual. It was a simple gimmick match started by a joke Paterson made in front of McMahon.
Chad Wicks
Chad Wicks had a very short stint in the WWE as Chad Dick, one half of a tag team called ‘The Dicks’. Their gimmick was that of two male strippers. Wicks was gay, while his tag team partner John ‘James Dick’ Toland was in a long-term relationship with Jillian Hall.
Like all new stars, they were the victims of a series of practical jokes. But Wicks suspected that he was being targeted for being gay. The way he confronted other wrestlers turned them against him. Toland warned Wicks to relax, or they could lose their big shot. This led to a physical fight with the pair. They were fired soon afterwards. Wicks immediately retired, refusing to speak of his time in wrestling. Toland returned to the independent circuit, and openly made references to Wicks’ sexuality.
Orlando Jordan
In 2006, Jordan pitched the idea of a love-triangle character. He himself would portray a wrestler who had both a girlfriend and a boyfriend. Obviously, if the boyfriend was devoted to Jordan, then he would be portrayed as gay. Jordan claimed to have found a man who was willing to play the part of an effeminate man to play his male lover on television. With that, McMahon okayed the storyline.
Around the same time, they were repackaging Big Vito as a man who liked to wear dresses. His secret was revealed onscreen by Jordan. This was meant to work in with Jordan’s new gimmick being introduced (How else would Jordan know about Vito’s cross-dressing?). But then photos emerged of Jordan being amorous with an unnamed man. He was released from his contract “as a cost-cutting measureâ€.
Jordan would unveil a toned down version of his proposed gimmick on the independent circuit. As soon as he signed a contract with TNA Wrestling, he openly admitted that he was bisexual. TNA repackaged him as a Lady Gaga based character. But his push was brought to an abrupt halt after his boyfriend imitated sex acts on Jordan at an afterhours club in front of veterans. Ric Flair and the Nasty Boyz complained to management, and Jordan’s boyfriend was fired. The proposed storylines with Jordan were cancelled and his character toned down. Jordan would not receive another push during his time with the company.
Chris Kanyon
Kanyon was destined to become a big star in the WWE after it bought out WCW. But a knee injury, and a very long recovery period, derailed his initial push. But when he returned, he was nothing more than an enhancement talent. He was seldom seen on television. And when he was, he was usually squashed or beaten down by a tag team (mostly the APA).
Kanyon’s final appearance in the WWE saw him mimicking gay pop singer Boy George. Big Show was attempting to stave off Undertaker’s wrath with a series of phoney apologies and embarrassing gifts. Kanyon would emerge from a crate dressed as Boy George, and sang ‘Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?’. This idea came from the negative reception a similar character received in the movie, ‘The Wedding Singer’. The segment ended with Undertaker pounding Kanyon with genuine punches and chair shots. Kanyon would not be used again and was later fired.
Kanyon later attempted to jump a crowd barrier at a live WWE event. He had posters appealing to Triple H to get him reinstated, and to Shawn Michaels to “pray for my gay soulâ€. Kanyon would do a series of radio interviews, claiming that he was fired due to rumours of his sexuality. He also insisted that Orlando Jordan was fired when people discovered that he was bisexual. Kanyon believed the reason why Undertaker was so hard on him during his final appearance was because McMahon told him to do it. He believed that McMahon “wanted to send a message that that lifestyle was wrongâ€. The whole time, Kanyon emphasised that he was not saying that he himself was gay.
A short time later, Kanyon said that his character (but not him) was coming out. His character was going to be the first openly gay character in wrestling. Exactly one month later, Kanyon admitted that he was gay. Even though Kanyon just admitted he was gay, his behaviour made him seem heterophobic (discrimination against people who don’t actively support the gay lifestyle). As a result, bookings quickly dried up. Kanyon responded by retiring from wrestling.
Terry Garvin
Terry Garvin is best known for his tag team with his “brother†Ron Garvin in the NWA. While he was openly gay, he kept this a secret from the public. He pretended to be a straight man who was portraying a gay character.
He mainly worked in backstage roles as an assistant to Pat Paterson. Garvin’s main job was to supervise volunteers who put together the ring before each show.
Like Paterson, he has been accused of sexual harassment. But unlike Paterson, he was taken to court and had charges pressed. Garvin was released from the WWE and never rehired. Vince McMahon would later comment on a radio show, at which point Barry O (Randy Orton’s uncle) phoned in to claim that he too was accosted.
Jim Barnett
Barnett started his career as a wrestler. But he became the promoter who owned Georgia Championship Wrestling and the Austrailian World Championship Wrestling.
Little information remains on Barnett. Most of his career exists in the memories of those who worked with or against him. While he has some fans, most people did not like him. Barnett had served as an advisor to Vince McMahon and the WWE. He also advised Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling.
Some recognise Barnett as a forgotten icon of the territory system. But due to the high number of people who didn’t like him, his real legacy may remain forgotten. Barnett died in 2004.
Many wrestlers have portrayed flamboyantly gay characters in the ring. But most of them have been heterosexuals, with a lot of those being married to models or future-model wives. Characters like ‘Adorable’ Adrian Adonis would act in an overly effeminate manner to aggravate crowds as villains. Although, a few exceptions saw the wrestler become a cult favourite, like Johnny B. Badd and Rico.
The wrestlers that played these characters had something very important in common. That was because playing a flamboyantly gay character came with a very steep price. They were all notoriously tough, or were skilled boxers or martial artists. While most wrestling fans understood that the wrestlers were just portraying characters, there were some idiots that did not get it. The wrestlers would sometimes get ambushed after shows or in their everyday lives by homophobic thugs.
Here, we take a look at the other openly gay or bisexual wrestlers who have been involved with the WWE.
Pat Paterson
The first Intercontinental Champion has had a very long tenure with WWE. He was plagued by rumours that he was gay throughout his career. He openly denied the rumours until his in-ring career came to an end. But the word slowly spread throughout locker-rooms. Paterson never really admitted publicly that he was gay. He merely allowed the rumour and speculation to become known fact.
Paterson now denies keeping his sexuality a secret at any point in his career. But he knew he had to. He was working in an industry that was notoriously homophobic. There were a lot of people in the locker room who were uncomfortable with wrestling a gay man. Bret Hart recently commented that he was worried each time he had a match with Paterson.
A lot of wrestlers who had short stints in the ‘90’s and early ‘00’s have claimed that Paterson was a “gay bullyâ€. He allegedly influenced the hiring of male wrestlers based on how their bodies looked. He is also accused of bribing younger stars with try-outs and pushes in exchange for sexual favours. However, none of these allegations have ever been confirmed. He was once taken to court, but his accuser dropped all charges when he lost his job with WWE.
At the 2000 ‘King Of The Ring’ pay-per-view, Paterson defended the Hardcore Championship in an Evening Gown match. For this, Paterson and his opponent, Gerald Brisco, competed while dressed in drag. The match was not designed to humiliate or punish either individual. It was a simple gimmick match started by a joke Paterson made in front of McMahon.
Chad Wicks
Chad Wicks had a very short stint in the WWE as Chad Dick, one half of a tag team called ‘The Dicks’. Their gimmick was that of two male strippers. Wicks was gay, while his tag team partner John ‘James Dick’ Toland was in a long-term relationship with Jillian Hall.
Like all new stars, they were the victims of a series of practical jokes. But Wicks suspected that he was being targeted for being gay. The way he confronted other wrestlers turned them against him. Toland warned Wicks to relax, or they could lose their big shot. This led to a physical fight with the pair. They were fired soon afterwards. Wicks immediately retired, refusing to speak of his time in wrestling. Toland returned to the independent circuit, and openly made references to Wicks’ sexuality.
Orlando Jordan
In 2006, Jordan pitched the idea of a love-triangle character. He himself would portray a wrestler who had both a girlfriend and a boyfriend. Obviously, if the boyfriend was devoted to Jordan, then he would be portrayed as gay. Jordan claimed to have found a man who was willing to play the part of an effeminate man to play his male lover on television. With that, McMahon okayed the storyline.
Around the same time, they were repackaging Big Vito as a man who liked to wear dresses. His secret was revealed onscreen by Jordan. This was meant to work in with Jordan’s new gimmick being introduced (How else would Jordan know about Vito’s cross-dressing?). But then photos emerged of Jordan being amorous with an unnamed man. He was released from his contract “as a cost-cutting measureâ€.
Jordan would unveil a toned down version of his proposed gimmick on the independent circuit. As soon as he signed a contract with TNA Wrestling, he openly admitted that he was bisexual. TNA repackaged him as a Lady Gaga based character. But his push was brought to an abrupt halt after his boyfriend imitated sex acts on Jordan at an afterhours club in front of veterans. Ric Flair and the Nasty Boyz complained to management, and Jordan’s boyfriend was fired. The proposed storylines with Jordan were cancelled and his character toned down. Jordan would not receive another push during his time with the company.
Chris Kanyon
Kanyon was destined to become a big star in the WWE after it bought out WCW. But a knee injury, and a very long recovery period, derailed his initial push. But when he returned, he was nothing more than an enhancement talent. He was seldom seen on television. And when he was, he was usually squashed or beaten down by a tag team (mostly the APA).
Kanyon’s final appearance in the WWE saw him mimicking gay pop singer Boy George. Big Show was attempting to stave off Undertaker’s wrath with a series of phoney apologies and embarrassing gifts. Kanyon would emerge from a crate dressed as Boy George, and sang ‘Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?’. This idea came from the negative reception a similar character received in the movie, ‘The Wedding Singer’. The segment ended with Undertaker pounding Kanyon with genuine punches and chair shots. Kanyon would not be used again and was later fired.
Kanyon later attempted to jump a crowd barrier at a live WWE event. He had posters appealing to Triple H to get him reinstated, and to Shawn Michaels to “pray for my gay soulâ€. Kanyon would do a series of radio interviews, claiming that he was fired due to rumours of his sexuality. He also insisted that Orlando Jordan was fired when people discovered that he was bisexual. Kanyon believed the reason why Undertaker was so hard on him during his final appearance was because McMahon told him to do it. He believed that McMahon “wanted to send a message that that lifestyle was wrongâ€. The whole time, Kanyon emphasised that he was not saying that he himself was gay.
A short time later, Kanyon said that his character (but not him) was coming out. His character was going to be the first openly gay character in wrestling. Exactly one month later, Kanyon admitted that he was gay. Even though Kanyon just admitted he was gay, his behaviour made him seem heterophobic (discrimination against people who don’t actively support the gay lifestyle). As a result, bookings quickly dried up. Kanyon responded by retiring from wrestling.
Terry Garvin
Terry Garvin is best known for his tag team with his “brother†Ron Garvin in the NWA. While he was openly gay, he kept this a secret from the public. He pretended to be a straight man who was portraying a gay character.
He mainly worked in backstage roles as an assistant to Pat Paterson. Garvin’s main job was to supervise volunteers who put together the ring before each show.
Like Paterson, he has been accused of sexual harassment. But unlike Paterson, he was taken to court and had charges pressed. Garvin was released from the WWE and never rehired. Vince McMahon would later comment on a radio show, at which point Barry O (Randy Orton’s uncle) phoned in to claim that he too was accosted.
Jim Barnett
Barnett started his career as a wrestler. But he became the promoter who owned Georgia Championship Wrestling and the Austrailian World Championship Wrestling.
Little information remains on Barnett. Most of his career exists in the memories of those who worked with or against him. While he has some fans, most people did not like him. Barnett had served as an advisor to Vince McMahon and the WWE. He also advised Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling.
Some recognise Barnett as a forgotten icon of the territory system. But due to the high number of people who didn’t like him, his real legacy may remain forgotten. Barnett died in 2004.
