All-inclusive AEW celebrates Pride month in styleAs a company All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has embraced the notion of making space for people from all walks of life.
by James Richardson
01-07-2022 13:55
in LGBTQIA+
AEW is all-inclusive. Photo: Supplied by All Elite Wrestling/ Warner Media Africa
As a company All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has embraced the notion of making space for people from all walks of life.
--
AEW hire a diverse array of people both behind and in front of the camera and we spoke to some about their experiences being LGBTQIA in the wrestling business.
AEW is all inclusive Former AEW Women's Champion and Trans trailblazer Nyla Rose, says working for this company is an incredible experience.
It feels great. I mean, it's it's kind of how things should be across the board. Right? There is, not just AEW, but Warner media and the whole team behind us, our network, everybody, it's not just a feather in a cap like it, it truly feels like from the, from the top to the bottom, that we're all a family and everybody's got everybody's back. And that feels incredible. Whereas, you know, a lot of companies, most companies either pay no mind or like write you off, or, you know, don't really support you in those ways. It feels incredible to have a whole team a mass of people, people I don't even know or are aware of behind me 100%.
--
Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero. Photo: All Elite Wrestling/ Warner Media Africa Why representation matters As to why representation matters, Nyla, says its all about bringing people in from the cold.
It matters because you, you want to see yourself represented, you know, growing up, I didn't have anybody, like myself to look up to. So it was kind of like my own dirty little secret. I didn't, you know, I felt something was wrong with me, I didn't know that it was like, okay to be this way. I just, I was lost in my own head. But had I had someone to kind of look up to or even just say, not necessarily look up to you, but just say, hey, this person exists, they're like me and see what they're going through. If I had that, I might not have questioned so many things for so long. I might have, you know, made some changes a lot sooner in life, I would have had that confidence to know that it's okay. So, representation matters, whether it be, you know, seeing a powerful female figure in a leadership position, being seeing a person of colour, doing something, you know, that you yourself are striving to do, or just be out there in a successful position, be it someone in the LGBT plus community, whatever it is, you want to see yourself reflected in a positive way. Because then you know, it's okay to exist, it's okay to be yourself. You know, even if you don't know that person, that you have people out there, you don't feel so alone.
The Acclaimed have arrived The Acclaimed's Anthony Bowens says that AEW has created an environment that he never dreamed could have been possible.
--
Anthony Bowens of the Acclaimed. Photo: All Elite Wrestling/ Warner Media Africa There was a time where I didn't think I'd be able to do this, there was a time where I didn't think I'd be able to exist as successfully as an out gay professional wrestler, and to be able to have a outlet to do that, to live my dream.
And to also, you know, be excited to come to work without worry of judgement, or any kind of negativity in regards to my sexuality is huge. And it's a relief. It's also a big part of, you know, me coming here because when I when I first before I was signed, I came here as an extra that restaurant dark during the pandemic. One of the things that I saw was the, you know, the our LGBT athletes like Sonny kiss, and Ella rose just walking around being themselves without a care in the world. And, you know, that really stuck out to me as someplace that I would love to work.
ALSO READ: The best AEW matches so far
Sonny Kiss makes a difference in AEW Sonny Kiss appears on AEW Dark. Photo: All Elite Wrestling / Warner Media Africa. Sonny Kiss is another performer breaking new ground in AEW, and feels that LGBTQI people within the company are being allowed to be open about who they are without making their identity a gimmick.
I think it just happens over time. I feel like people are used to the Adrian Street and people like that, who kind of have, we're just characters. So I feel like over time, they have to continue to keep getting to know that no, not all LGBTQ people are like this, or like that, there's no one way. So I feel, once the fans continue to get to know, Sonny Kiss as a gender fluid, trans feminine person, I feel like it'll just become a lot easier. And I was like, okay, like, that's who he is. But I think it's impossible, you know, for everyone to kind of get it immediately also, too, because the pronouns and things like that are all very mutable. So it's just has to happen over time.
You can catch AEW programming on TNT Africa (DStv Channel 137) with new episodes of Rampage and Dynamite airing on Saturdays and Sundays respectively from 10:00 (CAT). Episodes are also available on DStv catchup for subscribers.
If you know your rugby, you could win R1 000 in cash! ENTER NOW & WIN
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
12/11/2026
Disney, ESPN and the NBA will present Dunk the Halls, the third real-time animated NBA game using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, on Chr...
12/11/2026
Van Wagner has launched Van Wagner RELAY, a digital platform for official athlet...
12/11/2026
Deal brings together two of the industry's most established graphics brands and significantly expands Vizrt's footprint in U.S. sports and regional broa...
12/11/2026
Euro TV Production GmbH of Austria has upgraded its outside broadcast vehicle with Lawo technology. The mc 36 Classic console in service since 2019 was replaced...
12/11/2026
Tagboard has launched Spark Resize, an AI-assisted tool now in beta that takes an existing graphic and produces a new version for a different aspect ratio or sc...
All-inclusive AEW celebrates Pride month in styleAs a company All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has embraced the notion of making space for people from all walks of life.
