Joey Ryan was a guest on the brand new Total Engagement w/ Matt Koon podcast and opened up about his pro wrestling career, what it’s like being known as ‘the penis guy,’ whether he would consider All Elite Wrestling as a potential full time landing spot and much more. Highlights appear below.
On Intergender Wrestling Criticism Being A Microcosm Of Society:
It definitely is. That can be a lot of people’s environment. It could be a lot of people’s upbringings. It could be a lot of people’s mentalities, who have this block where they can’t see creating equal moments. It’s frustrating times, but people only know what they know. They can only understand what they understand. You can argue it all day long, but unless somebody is willing to change their mind, you can’t change their opinion. I look at it as wrestling being more theater like anyways. We’re living in this make-believe world and, for me, I wouldn’t dare tell a woman that she couldn’t pretend to be my equal in a make-believe world. Do you know what I mean? Most of the time women struggle finding equality in everyday life, in real situations, and now we’re living in a make-believe world, and I don’t also want them to have to deal with that struggle.
Ryan On Kayfabe:
I’m not a big proponent of kayfabe in the traditional sense. I think, in this day in age, it’s almost insulting to fans to pretend they’re not smart enough to understand what’s going on….I don’t want to put that on anyone who doesn’t necessarily want to enjoy the inside world of wrestling, if they imagine it as being more real than it is. I don’t want to take anyone’s enjoyment away, but I also feel like fans – at least the ones I’ve had to deal with, or the one’s I’ve gotten to know, or the one’s I see on my Twitter feed – I think they’re smart enough to separate real life from what they see on television, or what they see on video, or on the Internet, so I just live a world where I don’t really consciously make an effort to be something I’m not when I’m not on screen. People might criticize me for bringing down that veil, but at the same time I don’t necessarily feel like it’s that important to what I do, at least, to keep that mystique up.
On Whether He Likes Pushing Buttons:
Yeah, for sure. A lot of times, probably more than anybody realizes, I get audience members who come up to me after they’ve watched me live and they’ll be like, ‘Man, I saw your stuff on the Internet or I heard about it, and I just didn’t get it, and then I saw you live and it changed my opinion of you.’ That’s very rewarding when I get that. It is kind of fun to be able to push people’s buttons, but I think when it comes down to it, as long as I keep certain boundaries, I’m not really offending anybody. Maybe there are people who like to pretend to be offended, but I don’t think I’m actually offending anyone.
Readers may listen to Matt Koon’s interview with Joey Ryan in its entirety below:
Read More: Joey Ryan On Being Known As ‘The Penis Guy’, Taking His Character Seriously, Dealing With Backlash
