Raychell Rose says Reality of Wrestling failed to protect her from stalker before release

Wrestler Raychell Rose has recently claimed that she was let go from her role in Reality of Wrestling (ROW) due to a former trainee’s repeated stalking incidents against her.

Rose claims that the promotion failed to put in place safeguards that would stop Shawn Reed from stalking her. Reed had allegedly attempted to attend many events that Rose was announced for, and his lingering presence following a December 2022 event caused a bar fight that resulted in him and a ROW wrestler being arrested.

Fightful report released Saturday included a lengthy recounting of events that led up to Rose’s departure from Reality of Wrestling. Fightful had reportedly obtained text messages dating back to August 2021 that showed Reed being told that his behavior made Rose uncomfortable.

Rose said she reported directly to ROW producer Kevin Bernhardt, who would direct talent to talk to founders Booker T or Sharmell if needed, which she says never happened in her case. Bernhardt had told Reed to stop training at Reality of Wrestling and instead go to fellow Texas-based promotion Premier Wrestling Federation (PWF), even though Rose had also been appearing at their events as well.

A source told Fightful that Reed was ejected from a PWF event that Rose was booked to appear on March 5, 2022.

Reed also allegedly attempted to attend a ROW event in December 2022, another card that Rose was scheduled for. Reed was ejected from the venue by staff. He reportedly had an exchange outside the building with Booker T, who Rose claims hadn’t been informed of the stalking situation at the time. Booker T brought Reed back into the event in the hopes of calming him down.

A confrontation between Reed and ROW talent later that night turned violent. Reed reportedly appeared that same evening at the Stuttgart Tavern, a local bar where ROW wrestlers frequently gathered after events. Booker T told Fightful that wrestlers expected Reed to be there, although Rose was told that she was never informed about his presence.

ROW talent got into a confrontation with Reed at the bar, causing a fight to ensue. Reed, along with an ROW wrestler, were arrested following the altercation.

After that December 2022 night, Rose said ROW informed her that there was a trespassing warrant for Reed at their venue. However, in a recently published phone call between Rose and a local Texas police department, she was informed that a trespass warning had never been registered for the location.

Rose was let go from ROW after the incident. While Booker T told Fightful that Rose departed the promotion for “internal reasons,” a video published recently by Rose states that issues with Reed were directly the reason for her exit.

“I recall telling them that the only way to try and keep my stalker away from the school without police involvement is to keep me away from their school,” Rose said in a recent YouTube video. “And I recall being told: ‘If that’s what it takes, then that’s what it takes.’”

Reed has denied that he stalked Rose and considered the situation an attempt to get him “booted out of the business in what was a complete political bullying move.”

Rose recently stated that she is only interested in seeking legal aid and being able to “live safely.”

“This is nothing to do with wanting anything bad to happen to somebody, or anything bad to happen to a wrestling group. This is only to do with me and my personal situation and aid me in getting the legal process completed so that I can move on from this with my life.

Rose says that she is still pursuing a restraining order against Reed.

About Jack Wannan 465 Articles
Jack Wannan is a journalist from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He writes and reports on professional wrestling, along with other topics like MMA, boxing, music, local news, and more. He graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He can be reached at [email protected]