Ex-AEW Star Joey Janela Claims His Online Persona Isn’t the Real Him

Joey Janela has built a reputation for stirring up chaos on social media, but according to him, fans shouldn’t take his online rants too seriously.

In a new interview with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, the outspoken wrestler insisted that the version of himself seen on the internet is just a character he plays.

“I’m not the assh*le I [portray] on the internet, guys. I’m a worker. I work at 24/7,” Janela said.

He even doubled down on his claim by referencing some of his past inflammatory posts that often tell critics to “run into traffic” or “get hit by a bus.”

“If I go on Twitter and I say, ‘Run into traffic. Go get hit by a bus because you don’t think my match is good,’ just think in the back of your mind that that’s not this Joey Janela talking,” he continued.

Janela then tried to paint a picture of himself as a kinder, more grounded person outside of social media.

“That evil, conniving, smelly, snarky piece of trash [on Twitter]—but in real life, I smell f*cking great. I wear Sauvage every day, one of the best colognes in the world. I’m nice to kids. I’m nice to animals. I would never tell someone in public to go get hit by a bus unless they really piss me off.”

While Janela insists that his online behavior is just part of his act, his constant inflammatory comments have still rubbed plenty of fans and peers the wrong way. Whether it’s performance or not, his digital outbursts continue to keep him in the headlines—for better or worse.