SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Bully Ray issued a statement on his Twitter account in response to a fan that claimed he was taken backstage by security and left alone with Bully Ray after he heckled The Allure during their in-ring segment early in the show, which aired live on Honor Club. The incident could not be seen in full watching the show, as the ring was obscured by a shot of the announcers.
Ray gave himself credit for being nice about the heckling of The Allure saying, “I handled the situation the exact opposite way most would assume, with decorum. I even gave the fan a friendly pat on the back and told him to enjoy the show and ‘go be a fan.’ His response… ‘Thanks Bully.’ Fan version embellished to make fan look like a ‘victim.'” You can read Ray’s first statement below.
The fan in question, Josh Ketch, went on to say on his twitter account that ROH booker Hunter Johnston aka Delirious, escorted him backstage, but PWTorch has learned that it was the head of the ring crew Brian Johnson that took him backstage to meet alone with Bully Ray. You can see Bully Ray’s complete statement on the incident below:
— Bully Ray (@bullyray5150) June 3, 2019
Since Bully Ray’s statement, all three members of The Allure have responded to Ketch’s tweets. Angelina Love tweeted the following response to Ketch’s accusations:
Typical Narcissistic sociopath behaviour. Act like an absolute maniac & verbally/sexually harass talent on shows & then act like you’re a victim so you can cry for attention on Twitter.
Fans don’t act the way you did. I looked directly in your eyes. You had evil intent in them.— Lauren/Angelina Love (@ActualALove) June 4, 2019
Mandy Leon, who Ketch accused of spitting and face palming him, also weighed in on the incident on her Twitter account in response to Ketch’s tweets. You can see her response in the tweet below:
Stop with the lies & scratching for attention dude. Man up. Own your behavior & take responsibility. You were extremely inappropriate verbally attacking & sexually harassing talent on a level that is not acceptable in any environment PERIOD. 2 shows in a row. Be cool & drop it.
— Mandy León (@MandyLeonxo) June 4, 2019
Velvet Sky then responded to Ketch’s tweet, calling him out for verbal sexual assault. You can see her response to Leon’s tweet below:
Verbal sexual assault on women is inappropriate and you know it. You were the loudest one in the arena both nights when we came out, salivating at the chance to spew your lewd & disgusting comments & cover it up by saying “I was booing the heels” FOH with that mess.
— ✨Velvet Sky✨ (@VelVelHoller) June 4, 2019
ROH GM Greg Gilleland issued a statement to PWTorch saying ROH was investigating the matter. Other outlets received similar statements from ROH saying the investigation would wrap up in 48 hours, but that window has passed and ROH has issued no public statement about their findings on the incident last Sunday in Portland.
Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks sent out a tweet of support for Ketch earlier today inviting him to work out with him. You can see his tweet to Ketch below:
@xIAMHOLLYWOODx You’re a good dude. Come work out with me again. ❤️
— The Young Bucks® (@MattJackson13) June 5, 2019
Radican’s Analysis: I’m eager to hear what ROH turned up in their internal investigation, but my guess is they aren’t going to comment on the matter beyond the initial statements they sent out to the press. If Ketch was being that obnoxious, security should have handled the incident and ejected him from the venue. It’s never a good idea to have a fan escorted backstage to be lectured by Bully Ray no matter how good Ray’s intentions are when engaging the fan in private.
Incidents like this could turn ugly quickly and put the company in a bad spot if something went wrong between the fan and Ray in private. Several people have mentioned to me this week that this isn’t the first time fan has had a fan taken backstage to lecture them about their behavior. Here’s to hoping that ROH puts in some measures to ensure this incident doesn’t happen again.
Bully the slob adds nothing to ROH.