NJPW star Fred Rosser has praised Randy Orton, Sheamus and more for helping make his life as easy as possible after coming out as gay.
Fred Rosser (Darren Young) made history by being the first under contract wrestler to come out during his time in WWE.
Whilst being interviewed by TMZ in 2013, the former Prime Time Player was asked if it would be possible for a gay wrestler to be successful in WWE, to which Rosser responded by coming out.
Rosser gained support from his WWE colleagues across social media, but ten years on, has been discussing the reaction backstage.
Fred Rosser Thanks Randy Orton
During an appearance on theTen Count, Rosser recalled receiving support from Randy Orton, Sheamus, Hall of Famer Mark Henry and Titus O’Neil.
“So from guys like Randy Orton, who I still communicate with to this day, Mark Henry, Sheamus, Titus O’Neil, a plethora of other superstars, they made it a lot easier for me to walk into a locker room.”
Due to his physical presence, Rosser has been gaining plenty of attention in public, leading to feelings of repeating his coming out experience.
“I always say every day is a coming out experience,” Rosser said. “So whether I’m doing this interview, or whether I’m sitting at the airport with someone who looks at me and says, ‘Oh, man, this is a big guy.’ We can talk at the airport, I tell them who I am, and they immediately Google me, so that’s why I always say every day is a coming out experience.”
Rosser is known for his time in the Nexus faction, his tag team partnership with Titus O’Neil (The Prime Time Players) and working with Bob Backlund. Since leaving WWE in 2017, Rosser has been establishing a career in Japan, signing a contract with NJPW in 2020.
Over the last ten years, many male sports stars have opened up about their sexuality, including AEW star Anthony Bowens, Olympian Tom Daley and footballer Josh Cavallo.
H/t to Sportskeeda