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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteJoey Ryan (Joseph Ryan Meehan) lost his place in professional wrestling after multiple sexual misconduct allegations surfaced in June 2020, during the Speaking Out movement. The clearest documented consequence is that Impact Wrestling ended his contract. A 2021 charity appearance was also canceled after backlash. “Blackballed” is a colloquial way to describe losing bookings and opportunities. The reporting available does not show a formal, industry-wide agreement among promotions to keep him out.
What the allegations were
The first public step came on June 20, 2020, when Impact Wrestling told PWInsider that it was following allegations circulating on social media. In a statement carried by reporting at the time, the company said: “We are following carefully the various allegations being made through social media, and are reviewing all incidents involving Impact Wrestling talent and personnel to determine an appropriate course of action.”
The specific allegations reported in the coverage include:
- An airport incident. ProWrestling.net reported an allegation that Ryan groped a woman who had picked him up at an airport before a WrestlePro appearance. This is an allegation attributed to the accuser, not a court finding.
- A larger count. Fightful reported 17 allegations against Ryan in its March 8, 2021 coverage of the Speaking Out movement. That is a count of claims made publicly, not a finding that each one was substantiated.
Ryan’s public response
Ryan issued a public statement on June 21, 2020. He said his attorney had advised him not to address specific allegations, so he did not respond to each one. He did acknowledge that he did not always treat people with respect, and that he may have pursued people he thought were interested, invaded their personal space, and made them uncomfortable. He apologized to anyone he had disrespected and said he had entered counseling in October 2018.
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He also said he would not go through the accounts one by one to say which were true, which differed from his memory, and which were false. The statement included the line “I have worked hard to make wrestling a safe and welcoming place for everyone.” That is Ryan’s own stated aspiration in his defense, not an independent assessment of his conduct.
Impact’s action and the contract dispute
Impact’s June 20 statement described a review. Later reporting dates the termination of Ryan’s contract to June 22, 2020. Ryan then sued Impact, arguing that the termination breached his contract. That is his legal position. The reporting does not include a court determination on the contract claim, and it does not establish how the case ended.
The defamation lawsuits
Ryan also filed defamation lawsuits against accusers. The outcomes reported so far are procedural:
- December 2020: PWInsider reported that a California court had ordered Ryan to show cause why his cases should not be dismissed for lack of prosecution.
- February 2021: Wrestling Inc. reported that a judge dismissed his case against three women without prejudice, because he had not adequately responded to the order to show cause. A dismissal without prejudice means the case can be refiled. It is not a ruling that the underlying allegations were true or false.
- March 2021: Fightful reported that Ryan said he would drop most of his defamation suits and leave the Impact suit open.
The 2021 charity appearance
In March 2021, Fightful reported that a charity show featuring Ryan was canceled after the appearance was announced and drew criticism. The report also said AEW president Tony Khan withdrew AEW talent from the event. Ryan described the appearance as a one-off charity event and said he was not trying to return to wrestling. This is the clearest evidence of resistance beyond Impact, but it concerns one event, not a universal ban.
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Separating what is established from what is not
Most of the confusion around this story comes from treating allegations, lawsuits and employment decisions as if they were the same kind of finding. The table below separates them.
| Claim | What the reporting supports | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Impact ended Ryan’s contract | Impact said it was reviewing incidents involving its talent; later reporting dates the termination to June 22, 2020 | A court ruling on the contract dispute, or its final outcome |
| Multiple misconduct allegations were made | Fightful counted 17 allegations in March 2021 | That each allegation is true or false |
| Ryan lost bookings beyond Impact | A 2021 charity show was canceled after backlash, and AEW talent was withdrawn from it | A formal, industry-wide ban or a coordinated agreement among promotions |
| The defamation suits cleared Ryan or the accusers | Dismissals were procedural, and at least one was without prejudice | Any ruling on whether the allegations were true |
| Ryan’s current booking status | Not stated in the reporting cited, which runs from 2020 to 2021 | Whether he has worked for any promotion since 2021 |
What remains unresolved as of October 2026
The reporting here is U.S.-focused and centers on 2020 and 2021. It covers California defamation litigation and a contract dispute with Impact, and it does not confirm how the Impact contract case concluded or whether Ryan has returned to any promotion. Readers who need a current picture should check recent wrestling news coverage and the court records for each case, since neither was independently verified for this article.
Ryan’s acknowledgment of possible boundary violations and his apology are part of the public record, but they do not settle the disputed facts. The accusers’ accounts and Ryan’s account remain distinct, and the record does not resolve them in either direction.
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