Brendan Dassey could be headed to Wrestlemania after his murder conviction was overturned, and WWE star Tyson Kidd may be helping.
The subject of the hit Netflix show Making A Murderer , Dassey had his murder conviction overturned on Friday. Dassey and his uncle, Steven Avery, had been convicted of killing Teresa Halbach in a controversial case that gained national attention with the release of this year’s documentary.
But on Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Duffin announced that Dassey’s conviction had been overturned, giving prosecutors 90 days to either retry him or drop the charges and release him for good. In the 91-page ruling, Duffin criticized the handling of the case and said that Dassey’s constitutional rights were violated.
It’s not clear what happens next, but it was seen as an unexpected move and a major victory for the man who had been arrested and tried as a teenager.
The ruling was met with praise from fans of the series as well as a giant effort to help the longtime WWE fan attend his first Wrestlemania . As those watching the series remember, Brendan Dassey’s first reaction to his 2006 arrest was a deep feeling of devastation that he would be missing Wrestlemania .
He also missed out on Wrestlemania while in prison after his murder conviction. The UK’s Mirror noted back in March that even after a move to a new prison, the 26-year-old would continue to miss out on the biggest annual event in the WWE.
“TMZ reports that, despite being moved to a new prison earlier this year, Brendan still won’t get to see his favourite show this weekend as Wrestlemania 32 airs live from the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
“He transferred to Columbia Criminal Institution in Wisconsin in January, and prison officials have told the gossip site that there is a strict rule against ‘violence, foul language and nudity for TV viewing.’
“It means wrestling fanatic Brendan will have to miss out.”
But fans are now trying to make sure that he doesn’t have to miss out on Wrestlemania again, and they’re even calling on the WWE to help Dassey be in attendance for next year’s event. Many tweeted in support of the idea, sending messages to the organization to help make it happen.
Making A Murderer News: He can finally watch WWE #Wrestlemania !!! https://t.co/N5d1qce5m3
— Nerds Central (@nerdscentral) August 12, 2016
https://t.co/0fmxGh5ass @WWE I smell a matchup
— Dana Sparenberg (@Live_Danagerous) August 13, 2016
QUICK WHERE DO I DONATE TO THE “GET BRENDAN DASSEY TO WWE SUMMERSLAM” FUND
— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) August 12, 2016
Brendan Dassey is soon to be a free man. The @WWE should send him tickets to Wrestlemania.
— Hasbulla the Butcher (@JaimsVanDerBeek) August 12, 2016
Even wrestler Tyson Kidd seemed to be up for helping Dassey make it to Wrestlemania , tweeting a message out shortly after news that his conviction had been overturned.
When is Dassey getting a Twitter account? I don’t live far from next year’s show
— TJ Wilson (@TJWilson) August 12, 2016
It’s not exactly clear how much pull Tyson Kidd might have within the WWE to help bring Dassey to Wrestlemania . He’s been mostly out of the spotlight since suffering a devastating neck injury last year. Kidd tweeted to fans that only about five percent of people survive the injury he suffered, and that it would keep him out of action for at least a year.
But simply having a WWE wrestler acknowledge the effort to send the 26-year-old to Wrestlemania could help the effort gain some momentum. It’s not clear if the higher-ups in the WWE will do anything about the plans to help Brendan Dassey, and so far they haven’t responded to any of the requests from fans.
Aside from the outburst of support on Twitter, there are a handful of more formal efforts to help the Making a Murderer subject to finally see Wrestlemania . One fan even started a Change.org petition asking “that the WWE and Vince McMahon help make his dream come true and send Brendan Dassey to Wrestlemania .”
Another person took it a step further, forming a fundraiser on Indiegogo to send Brendan Dassey to Wrestlemania with front-row tickets. There’s still quite a ways to go, however. The fundraiser so far has taken in about $80 toward the $20,000 goal.
[Photo by Brandon Wade/AP Images]
