Jaxson Ryker has talked before about standing by the controversial tweet that changed his WWE career. This time, though, he wasn’t talking about politics or defending what he posted. Instead, he opened up about everything that happened after the tweet—and according to Ryker, it became much darker than most fans ever realized.
Looking back on the fallout, Ryker said the online backlash quickly spilled into his personal life. What started as criticism from fans and fellow wrestlers eventually turned into doxxing, threats and real fears that his family could be in danger.
Speaking with Ben Veal, Ryker recalled how quickly everything spiraled after posting his message supporting Donald Trump in 2020. Within minutes, he said, his phone was flooded with notifications as WWE stars publicly responded to his tweet.
“Within probably 10 or 15 minutes, my phone starts blowing up. You know, you got Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Ricochet, all these guys kind of firing back at me.”
Not long after, Ryker said WWE informed The Forgotten Sons they would be taken off television while everything died down.
“We got a call from the office in WWE, Mark Carrano, and, ‘Hey, we’re going to pull you guys off TV for a little bit. We’ll let this tweet settle down.'”
According to Ryker, things only got worse from there. He claims his personal information was posted online, exposing both his home address and phone number. Ryker says it didn’t stop there. He alleges the situation became frightening after people began threatening both his home and his family.
“My address was put online. My phone number was put online. People were threatening to come burn my house down and kill my child.”
Despite everything that was happening, Ryker said he resisted the urge to respond emotionally, believing that would only make things worse.
“The younger me probably would have lashed out and said something stupid, but I was like, ‘Okay, let’s just let this thing calm down.'”
Behind the scenes, he said another concern was weighing on him. Having recently bought a house, Ryker wasn’t sure whether he’d still have a WWE job once the controversy settled: “I had just bought a house and I’m thinking, ‘Am I going to get fired?'”
Looking back six years later, Ryker admits he tried to carry everything on his own. He said the stress affected how he treated the people closest to him, and he now believes seeking professional help would have been the healthier choice.
“I wish, 2020 looking back, 20/20 hindsight, I would have went to a therapist and said, ‘Hey, I need to sit down and talk to somebody.'”
Ryker has never backed away from discussing the tweet that derailed his WWE run, but this time he focused less on defending it and more on the personal toll he says came afterwards. Whether people agree with his political views or not, he says the fallout extended far beyond social media criticism and became something that affected his home life, his family and his mental health.
What do you make of Jaxson Ryker’s comments about the aftermath of his 2020 controversy? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
