Indie Wrestler Edward Draven Accuses CIW Promoter Javan Miller of Predatory Behavior

Indie wrestling is once again facing difficult questions about who gets to stay in the business—this time involving promoter Javan Miller, who’s been accused of predatory behavior by indie star Edward Draven.

Draven took to Twitter and laid out a disturbing account of his experiences working for Miller’s promotion, CIW, and revealed why he won’t stay silent anymore—despite the emotional difficulty of addressing this topic due to his own history with trauma.

“I’ve been very hesitant to speak up about this because I don’t like being involved in things related to this subject due to prior trauma. But with recent things that have been brought to my attention, I knew it was important for me to speak up and use my voice.”

Draven says Miller originally booked him for two shows after seeing a public challenge on Twitter—something Draven was genuinely excited about, since it involved wrestling a longtime friend. But what started as a professional opportunity spiraled quickly into something else.

“Javan Miller (also known as Michael Long) booked me for two CIW shows at the beginning of November after he saw Jay Kharma tweet about wanting to face me. I was excited to wrestle a longtime friend, but things quickly took a turn when Michael kept bringing up one of the wrestlers he was rumored to be having an affair with.”

According to Draven, the promoter’s behavior became increasingly inappropriate and disrespectful, including behind-the-scenes gossip, slander about other wrestlers, and unprofessional booking decisions.

“He spread lies about various wrestlers and their sexual history, hinting that they were doing favors to get ahead, and he bad-mouthed others who couldn’t make the event.”

Draven described how matches were manipulated to favor wrestlers Miller was allegedly pursuing romantically.

“The second day, he tells Jay and I to basically ‘not do much in the match to put his boyfriend over,’ on top of another attack from a wrestler he was trying to pursue… I came all the way from GA to OH.”

After the events, Draven chose to cut ties with Miller and CIW entirely—only to hear that Miller was misrepresenting the situation to others in the locker room. He called out Miller for being a creep.

“Michael then told talent that another wrestler and I ‘didn’t get brought back because we were trash,’ when in reality it was me protecting myself from a CREEP.”

The most disturbing part? Draven says Miller is a registered sex offender and known for stealing from the industry—allegations that take this from uncomfortable to potentially dangerous territory.

“He’s also a registered sex offender AND is known for stealing from this business. Enough is enough, and we need to speak out to stop more people from experiencing this.”

Wrestling is no stranger to stories like this, but every voice that speaks out helps push the business toward real accountability and protection for performers.

Do you think indie wrestling promotions are doing enough to protect talent? Should there be a stronger vetting process for promoters? Drop your thoughts in the comments—your voice matters.