Ex-ROH Star Taeler Hendrix Accuses Jay Lethal Of ‘Sabotaging’ Her Career When She Refused To Sleep With Him
Taeler Hendrix, an independent wrestling veteran best known for her time in Ring of Honor and the company now called Impact Wrestling, said on Wednesday that her time in the former company might have ended because she chose not to sleep with its current World Champion, Jay Lethal.
As documented by 411Mania, the allegations were made via Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, as Hendrix was discussing her tenure with ROH, where she competed until she left the company in April 2017. After being asked by a fan about “what [she had] done lately” at a time when Lethal is a two-time ROH World Champion to add to his many accomplishments with the independent promotion, Hendrix fired back, claiming Lethal took her off television and “sabotaged” her career because she refused to sleep with him.
“Also, the dude your [sic] standing up for is the same dude that told me because I didn’t sleep with him, they sabotaged me and took me off TV. That being the all mighty [sic] Jay.”
A few hours later, Taeler Hendrix tweeted her official statement on her allegations against Jay Lethal, saying that she has been in touch with lawyers, who are currently investigating the matter. Hendrix added that she believes she isn’t the only woman whom Lethal had treated that way, and that she has received support from people who are familiar with the situation.
“Silence is [the] acceptance that allows a corrupt system to divide and conquer. I don’t accept that anymore. Silence is deafening and acceptance is blinding. We deserve better,” Hendrix added in a subsequent tweet.
I know this is going to be on wrestling sites. My name is Taeler & this is my statement: attorneys on my behalf have an ongoing investigation. I know I'm not the only one & ppl that have known of this investigation have been supportive. I'll continue to fight for what's right.?
— Taeler Hendrix (@Taeler_Hendrix) July 4, 2018
Taeler Hendrix Claims Her ROH Push Was Sabotaged For Not Sleeping w/ Jay Lethal; Hendrix Issues Follow Up https://t.co/mFi14Vw8WM pic.twitter.com/uLMVebrgoY
— WrestleZone (@WRESTLEZONEcom) July 4, 2018
Taeler Hendrix’s accusations against Jay Lethal came several months after another mainstay of the independent wrestling scene faced allegations from a woman who claimed that he defended a colleague who had supposedly sexually harassed and abused her. In a December 2017 report, Fightful noted that independent wrestler and Glory Pro Wrestling promoter Michael Elgin lost a number of bookings as a result of the allegations, where the woman suggested that he was also manipulative and controlling when she and Elgin had a personal and sexual relationship. At the moment, Elgin is still employed by New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he had recently held the company’s NEVER Openweight Championship.
As of this writing, Jay Lethal has yet to issue any comment on the allegations, following attempts by various wrestling publications to reach out for his side of the story. However, Ringside News noted that Lethal, who is known as Jamar Shipman in real life, liked a tweet from former Impact Wrestling colleague Sonjay Dutt, where he referred to Hendrix’s claims as “slander.”
