AEW star Saraya has recalled some of the abuse she has suffered online from social media users and those who have taken things one step further.
Trigger warning! The following article discusses abuse.
Many wrestlers have experienced issues with harassment over the years from those looking to get an autograph or photo for either personal or financial gain. Along with footage of scalpers waiting at airports after previously tracking flights, others have camped outside of hotels or have gained access to private contact information.
While the aforementioned behaviour is unacceptable, others who have found private addresses have appeared in person at the wrestler’s home, something that Rhea Ripley recently spoke about on social media.
On March 25th, Saraya’s autobiography Hell in Boots: Clawing My Way Through Nine Lives will be released in the United States. Unlike the biopic Fighting With My Family, the former WWE and AEW Women’s Champion’s memoir is a tell-all story with many uncomfortable topics addressed.
“My Requested DMs Is The Dark Web”: Saraya Speaks Out On Online Abuse
Speaking with Rick Ucchino for The Takedown on SI ahead of the release, Saraya spoke about the rise of social media and the potential to experience abuse daily, adding that her DMs are not pleasant reading:
“My requested DM’s is the dark web. I do not wanna go in there. I know there will be unsolicited dick pics… Men do not give a s***. Social media is like a mask to them, so they can do and say whatever they want and get away with it. Which is the crazy part.”
“I’ve had people say they’re gonna rape me, they’re gonna murder me and all this crazy s***. [Women] get it all the time. Even when I tag my friends that aren’t so much in the public eye, they end up getting hounded in their DM’s.”
It is noted in the interview that both Saraya and her brother Zak experienced sexual abuse at a very young age, which is also discussed in the book.
The AEW star also spoke about those who have also made their way to her house:
“I’ve had so many fans come to my house. I had a guy that had no shoes on and a ripped shirt that was trying to get in my house. I’ve had people send stuff to me. People have camped outside my house before. So now I have to put everything under a different name. There’s no way I could have my name on my house.”
Later in the interview, the British wrestler noted that the majority of her fanbase is respectful and supportive but some have taken things too far:
“I have wonderful fans that are great and freaking treat me with respect, you know? And I’m very grateful for my fan base ’cause they’re all great. But you do get the odd weirdo that thinks that they know you so well that they can come into your house or be outside your hotel room or like hunt me down in a hotel room. It is crazy how far some of these fans will go.”
In a previous interview, Saraya spoke about her potential return to AEW.