In recent years, the acceptance of people of the LGBTQ+ community has been on the rise. People are now comfortable in expressing their sexuality, and they are accepted for who they are. This has been the case in the wrestling world too.
10 Most Successful LGBTQ+ Wrestlers In Pro Wrestling History
These wrestlers did the LGBTQ+ community proud as they showcased their tremendous talents in the ring while becoming role models to many!We've seen more and more wrestlers come out publicly, and are creating an impact. LGBTQ+ wrestlers have always been part of wrestling, but there were acceptance issues earlier. Let's take a look at 10 LGBTQ+ wrestlers from the past, and how their career turned out.
Tylene Buck Was One Of The NWO Girls
Wrestling Debut: 2000
- She Worked In WCW & XPW
- She Revealed That She Is Bisexual
- She Retired From Wrestling In 2001, And Became An Adult Actress
Tylene Buck is currently an adult actress, and part of an erotic wrestling promotion, ''Double Trouble Wrestling''. Long back, she was an actual wrestler, under the ring name ''Major Gunns''. She arrived in WCW in late 1999, as one of the nWo girls.
She had a few matches in WCW, but she was awful in the ring, and thus didn't go far, and was released by WCW in early 2001. She then joined Xtreme Pro Wrestling, where she managed Sandman, and feuded with Lizzy Borden, and then retired from the sport.
Terry Garvin Won Many Championships In NWA
Wrestling Debut: 1958
- He Worked In Jim Crockett Promotions
- He Was Openly Homosexual
- He Retired From Wrestling In 1984, And Worked For WWE Behind-The-Scenes Till 1992
Terry Garvin is best known for his work alongside his storyline brother Ron Garvin. They won several tag team championships in NWA. Garvin was openly homosexual, and was friends with Pat Patterson, who was gay as well.
Terry Garvin began his wrestling career in 1958 in Ontario. Apart from his tag team title wins, he had some singles title wins too in NWA. After retiring in 1984, he started working behind the scenes in WWE, but he was gone from the company after he was accused of sexual harassment.
Ernie Roth Is A Forgotten WWE Manager
Wrestling Debut: 1960s
- He Worked In WWE As A Manager
- His Homosexuality Was Revealed After His Death
- He Died In 1983 At The Age Of 57
Ernie Roth was popularly known as ''The Grand Wizard'' in the wrestling world. He was a pretty good manager and an occasional wrestler, but has been somewhat forgotten by the fans. He began his career in wrestling in the 1960s.
10 Things Fans Should Know About The Manager The Grand Wizard
The Grand Wizard was a truly influential manager that revolutionized the business, and there's a lot that fans should know about him.He arrived in WWE in 1971, and began managing the tag team of Black Jack Mulligan and "Beautiful Bobby" Harmon. He managed many other wrestlers in WWE such as Stan Stasiak, Pat Patterson, Don Muraco, among others. It was only revealed after Roth's death that he was homosexual.
Cassandro Is A Talented Comedic Wrestler
Wrestling Debut: 1988
- He Worked In UWA, Lucha Libre AAA World Wide, And Almost Worked In TNA
- He Was Openly Homosexual, And Even Worked As An Exotico
- He Is Still An Occasional Wrestler On The Independent Circuit
Cassandro is a pretty well-known name in Mexican wrestling history. He is openly gay and known for his work as an exotico, where he dresses in drags as part of the gimmick. He has had a comedic style of wrestling, but at the same time quite talented in the ring.
He began his career in 1988, and worked in Universal Wrestling Association, before working in Lucha Libre AAA World Wide. He was inducted in the AAA Hall of Fame in 2023. Cassandro was supposed to have a TNA run in 2009, but was gone from the company after just one dark match.
Nicole Bass Had A Similar Look To Chyna
Wrestling Debut: 1998
- She Worked In NEO Women's Pro Wrestling, ECW, WWE
- She Had A Girlfriend At The Time Of Her Death
- She Retired From Wrestling In 2002
Nicole Bass is rememberd for having a similar look to Chyna. She was trained by ECW in 1998, and began her wrestling career in NEO Women's Pro Wrestling. She also made her ECW debut in the first half of 1998, before joining WWE in 1999
She had a limited in-ring career in the company, as she was used more for other roles, such as being Sable's bodyguard, and aligning with Val Venis. She had a brief alliance with Ivory, which ended suddenly, after Bass left WWE, and filed a lawsuit against WWE for sexual harrasment.
Chris Kanyon Could've Been A Bigger Star With Better Booking
Wrestling Debut: 1992
- He Worked In WWE & WCW
- He Was A Closeted Gay Man, And His Struggles Were Highlighted In A Book Released After His Death
- He Died In 2010 At The Age Of 40
Chris Kanyon is a surprising name on this list, as many people might not have realized that he was actually gay. Kanyon began his wrestling career in 1992, and arrived in WCW in 1995, where he gained recognition, and was among the most underrated stars on the roster.
Chris Kanyon & 9 Other Forgotten Heroes Of WCW
Each of these WCW wrestlers were unsung heroes who didn’t get their due at the time, but should be celebrated more by wrestling fans today.Kanyon would team up with Diamond Dallas Page, and later feuded with him. He had a WWE run as well, but it wasn't very fruitful. Kanyon had many struggles as a closeted gay man, and he highlighted them in a book called ''Wrestling Reality''.
Rosa Mendes Had A Decent Run As A Manager In WWE
Wrestling Debut: 2006
- She Worked In WWE
- She Came Out As Bisexual On Total Divas
- She Wrestled Her Last Match In 2018, And Retired In 2020
Rosa Mendes was a part of WWE, for a surprisingly long time. WWE signed her after she reached the final eight in the 2006 WWE Diva Search. She first arrived on the main roster in 2008 as Beth Phoenix's intern.
Rosa also managed the tag team of Primo & Epico from 2011 to 2013. While she was pretty good as a manager, her in-ring skills were below par. Thus, she didn't have any in-ring accomplishments, or any memorable matches. After leaving WWE, she had a couple of matches in MCW in 2018, before retiring in 2020.
Orlando Jordan Was A Well-Known Wrestler In WWE
Wrestling Debut: 1999
- He Worked In WWE & TNA
- He Is Openly Bisexual
- He Occasionally Wrestles On The Independent Circuit
Orlando Jordan is a well-known wrestler from WWE's Ruthless Aggression Era. He made his wrestling debut in 1999, and worked for some time in MCW, before arriving in WWE. He made his official SmackDown debut in 2003. He soon joined JBL's faction, ''The Cabinet''.
Orlando Jordan & 9 Other Failed Midcard Champions
Orlando Jordan isn't the only wrestler who had difficulty as a mid-card champion in WWE. For whatever reason, some stars just couldn't hack it!The peak of his WWE career came when he won the United States Title in 2005, which he held for 173 days. He left WWE in 2006, and would then work in the independent circuit for the rest of his career, apart from two years in Impact Wrestling.
Gabbi Tuft Had A Short Run In WWE As Tyler Reks
Wrestling Debut: 2007
- She Worked In WWE
- She Came Out As A Trans Woman In 2021
- She Retired From Wrestling In 2014
Gabbi Tuft came out as a trans woman publicly in February 2021. Before that, she was a wrestler, and had also worked in WWE. She was signed to a development contract with WWE in 2008. She arrived on the main roster in 2010 on the SmackDown brand, as ''Tyler Reks''.
She had a short singles run, before forming a team with Curt Hawkins in 2011. However, the tag team wasn't successful, and Tuft left WWE in 2012. After a match on the independent circuit in 2014, Tuft retired from wrestling.
Pat Patterson Left A Huge Impact In The Wrestling World
Wrestling Debut: 1958
- He Is Best Known For His Work As Part Of The WWE Creative Team
- He Was Openly Gay, As He Had Come Out In The 1970s
- He Worked Backstage In WWE Until His Death In 2020 At The Age Of 79
Pat Patterson is perhaps the most memorable LGBTQ+ wrestler ever. In fact, he was the first openly gay professional wrestler. Patterson made his wrestling debut in 1958, and worked in many companies, like BTW, PNW, AWA, NJPW, before arriving in WWE in 1979.
10 Things Fans Should Know About Pat Patterson
Pat Patterson made huge contributions to WWE and the business overall, and here are a few things that fans should know about the legend.Patterson would create history by becoming the first-ever WWE Intercontinental Champion. After 1984 though, Patterson took up backstage roles, and became an occasional wrestler. He was Vince McMahon's right-hand man, and worked in the creative. It was Patterson who came up with the iconic Royal Rumble match.
