PROGRESS Severs Ties With Talent And Announces Suspensions Following Abuse Allegations
The Speaking Out movement has given an outlet for survivors of sexual assault and abuse in the wrestling industry to share their stories and experiences. Their stories have exposed a culture of predatory behavior that several trainers, wrestlers and promoters have been accused of.
PROGRESS Wrestling has issued out a statement in regards to the allegations made against wrestlers on their roster. They announced that David Starr and Marc "Paz" Parry will not longer work with Progress, and that Travis Banks, Jordan Devlin and Scotty Davis will be suspended indefinitely. They also stated that the tag team titles held by Devlin and Davis will be vacated.
They also wrote, "we take these allegations extremely seriously. Those under suspension will have their situation reviewed periodically between now, and events starting again. We continue to monitor and listen to the Speaking Out movement so that we can take appropriate action where necessary."
Progress issued the following statement addressing the Speak Out movement:
"The last couple of days feel like a watershed moment for the British wrestling scene. Stories being bravely told, about abuse that has been suffered within the wrestling business, are heartbreaking and eye-opening. We stand with you, and we hear you. Please keep speaking out.
"We have spent today consulting with trusted colleagues within the wrestling business about how we can improve our work environment and make it safer for all involved – talent, crew and fans. These have been incredibly positive discussions and we are excited to get to work making them reality. It will take time, but as a wrestling community we can clean this scene up and make it better, and safer."
A man by the name of David Lloyd shared a story where Havoc alleged punched Lloyd in the face unprompted. Lloyd shared a screenshot from Progress that claims that Havoc was "protecting his character" as seen below:
I've had a few issues with Jimmy Havoc over the years, this was the first one back in 2014, after their Thunderbastard show, I regret not going to the police and I'm still annoyed by Progress's response #SpeakingOut pic.twitter.com/dGGAIESOOx
? David Lloyd (@DLSmiler) June 19, 2020