Plenty of wrestling companies are digging into their libraries for content in the current environment. We’ve seen Ring of Honor post mat classics on YouTube and MLW has vowed to remaster older tapes for modern releases. CZW has composed several best-of PPVs available for sale under new branding, but that’s caused some controversy among their talent.
With names like “Top Heavy & Tough” and “Hot & Sweaty Combat”, the CZW Girlz shows feel closer to PPV offerings of a different sort. In a YouTube video, indie wrestler LuFisto calls it “softcore porn” and states that it’s not what she signed up for when she wrestled for the company. When she finally reached out about the issue, she was told that it was out of their hands. “I was told that the footage was sold to a third party that wanted to promote us as such and that CZW couldn’t do anything about it.” Needless to say, LuFisto didn’t believe CZW’s messaging.
The rest of the video warns CZW’s current female talent about this type of behavior. LuFisto goes as far as to say that she doesn’t recognize this incarnation of the company she grew up in, and she’s not alone.
I never publically bash CZW but this is just terrible. I’m embarrassed that my name is attached to these “PPV’s” I doubt I have any legal right to get my name off there. This is gross. The CZW office should be ashamed. I’m sorry to the ladies and that have to deal with this. https://t.co/Dtolvb0eDR
— RSP リッキー・シェーン・ペイジ (@RickeyShanePage) May 13, 2020
Other CZW talents of both genders have spoken out about the issue on social media. Former CZW Champion Rickey Shane Page said that the company should be ashamed to have their names on such PPV material. The company has not issued any sort of public statement as of yet, but it’s likely that they will if more wrestlers continue to step up and express their misgivings with this misrepresentation.
