ACH announces retirement from pro wrestling

ACH announced his retirement today through a post on Instagram.

He wrote, “No need for the dramatic or emotional word play. As of today I will officially step away from professional wrestling. Thank you all for the support and love.” The post was accompanied by a blank black square for the picture.

Known for his abilities and anime cosplay gear, ACH, whose real name is Albert Christian Hardie Jr., began his career in 2007 and is most known for his time wrestling in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. He signed with WWE to the NXT brand in 2019 under the name Jordan Myles and won the Breakout Tournament after defeating Cameron Grimes in the finals. He lost to then-NXT Champion Adam Cole shortly after.

However, his time in WWE was marred by the events leading to his release in November 2019. A shirt was released that had a black base with the graphic of large red lips with the teeth spelling out “Jordan Myles” that was supposed to evoke the logo of The Rolling Stones (Myles’ character was always smiling). Many saw the shirt as a representation of blackface, but WWE released a statement saying he had approved the shirt. After, ACH accused WWE of racism, posted a profanity-laced video to social media, said he quit WWE, and WWE officially released him.

ACH’s final match took place on May 7, a victory over Davey Vega at AAW’s Take No Prisoners (from Cagematch.net).

(Hazelwood’s Analysis: I always was a fan of ACH, particularly his time in ROH. He always put on fantastic matches, but what always drew me to him was his cosplay, from the Green Power Ranger to Rock Lee from Naruto, and more. What happened to him in WWE was truly unfortunate, and not the first story we’ve heard of WWE’s ignorance and outright racism. ACH’s retirement comes on the heels of Lio Rush announcing his retirement, and I wish the best for both men.)

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