After much speculation, Joey Ryan has made an announcement on his future, and he is staying independent. The announcement was made after Ryan’s match with Priscilla Kelly at tonight’s Bar Wrestling event in Baldwin Park.
Following Ryan’s match, in which he was defeated by Priscilla Kelly, Ryan addressed the crowd and stated that he had revelation after a recent show and realized that independent wrestling is where he is happy and where he has a place. He then stated “When I announced that I was going to do this on May 30, I didn’t know my decision. The more I thought about it, the more I think independent wrestling and independent wrestling fans are the blonde girl I’ve been looking for on Being the Elite.”
Ryan then added “So for better or for worse, I choose you, independent wrestling. In independent wrestling, I might be a big fish in a small pond, but it’s my fucking pond.”
When Joey Ryan was released from his Lucha Underground contract, speculation in regards to his future in wrestling began. He is a frequent contributor to the Being the Elite YouTube series and was a major part of last year’s All In in Chicago. That led to a belief among many that Ryan would end up in All Elite Wrestling. As we reported earlier this week, however, Ryan opted not to sign with AEW.
It was also reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer that WWE had contacted Ryan about his interest in coming to NXT and possibly transitioning into a coaching position in a few years. We have learned that Ryan expressed his lack of interest in that proposition and no contract was offered.
Shortly after the WWE story broke, Ryan began promoting a “farewell to the indies tour” t-shirt, and that furthered speculation that a change was imminent. After changing his mind and deciding to stay independent, he requested that the shirts would no longer be on sale after May 30.
We were also advised that the decision to remain independent doesn’t preclude Ryan from making any future deals with Impact Wrestling, as they do not prevent their talent from taking bookings from independent promotions.
In addition to his pro-wrestling bookings, there is currently a documentary film about Ryan, titled This is Wrestling: The Joey Ryan Story, on the film festival circuit. There will also be a special screening of the film before the June 12 Bar Wrestling event at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles.
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