Joey Ryan bid farewell to to the independent wrestling scene not too long ago, but the “King Of Sleaze” has had a change of heart. In an in-ring promo at Bar Wrestling last night after facing Priscilla Kelly, Ryan gave a heartfelt speech regarding his free agent status and how he was offered several contracts from several different promotions, but after much thought, decided to turn down all of them in favor of the scene he built his brand on. His full speech is below as well as the video:
“When my Lucha Underground ended and I started getting so many offers and different people wanting me, it felt great. It felt great to be the hottest free agent in wrestling and I loved every bit of it, you know. It really validated what I’ve been doing. I was kind of like Aladdin when he had the three wishes, you know? He wanted to be a prince, he saw greener pastures, but in the end he had to learn that he just had to be true to himself. So when I was negotiating these offers, I came to the realization that if I go exclusive, this incarnation of Joey Ryan goes away forever.
A brand that I put 19 years into and I built a fan base that’s important to me. You know, the more I thought about it, the more I think that independent wrestling and the independent wrestling fans are the blonde girl I’ve been looking for on BTE. So for better or for worse, I choose you, independent wrestling. Where I can fly like a bird.
With independent wrestling, I might be a big fish in a small pond, but it’s my fucking pond.”
https://twitter.com/JoeyRyanOnline/status/1134400849331888128
(Transcription credit should go to @DominicDeAngelo of WrestleZone.com)
