Tommy Dreamer Suspended from Impact Wrestling

[Chris]

Source: f4wonline.com

UPDATE: Impact Wrestling has suspended Tommy Dreamer as a result of comments made on the Dark Side of the Ring episode that aired on Thursday evening. John Pollock of Post Wrestling obtained the following statement from the company: "We are aware of Mr Laughlin’s (Tommy Dreamer) comments on “Dark Side of the Ring”. The views expressed by him in the interview are completely unacceptable. We can confirm Mr Laughlin was suspended this morning with immediate effect, pending further action".

Tommy Dreamer will not be at this weekend's set of Impact Wrestling TV tapings in Nashville, Tennessee, and his future on SiriusXM's Busted Open Radio is also in question following controversial comments on the latest Dark Side of the Ring episode.

The Impact news was first reported by Fightful who said that staff was informed of his absence during a production meeting Friday. The company has three days of taping planned starting today and Dreamer is part of the creative team, occasionally still working matches.

Dreamer (Tom Laughlin) came under fire following Thursday's Dark Side of the Ring that focused on "the plane ride from hell" in which a group of WWE wrestlers got heavily intoxicated prior to and during a 2002 international flight back to the United States -- an embarrassment for WWE that resulted in several firings and a lawsuit settlement.

Dreamer, who was on the flight, defended Ric Flair who was accused by flight attendant Heidi Doyle of exposing himself to her, pushing her up against the back door of the plane and putting her hand on his genitals. Flair has denied the claims.

Dreamer said Flair is "not going to impose, by force, any sexual stuff onto anybody. He's just flaunting...stylin' and profilin'...like the Ric Flair stuff where everybody's going to laugh about it. Obviously, somebody took offense to it."

He later said Flair was being portrayed as a sexual predator.

"It's a joke. It's a gag. Today? 1000% inappropriate," he said. "I have hung out with Ric Flair and have never seen him force his will against anybody."

On the WWE settlement with Doyle following the incident, Dreamer said, "If that’s how she felt, maybe she should have not taken a payout and went to the fullest extent of the law to put this heinous person in jail. My opinion."

On Friday's Busted Open Radio where Dreamer is an occasional co-host, host Dave LaGreca said they are taking the situation "very seriously" and don't condone any of the behavior displayed on the show. They didn't go into detail about when and if Dreamer will be back, but only that they are taking the situation seriously and "what will happen, will happen."

Dreamer, nor Impact, has yet to comment publicly on the episode.

 

[PeepShow]

Imagine being asked to do an interview for a documentary and you completely ruin your career and pretty decent reputation in the business to stand up for an already known sexual deviant and grade A weirdo. What a hill to die on.

 

[Deezy]

And yet this company would fumble over themselves if Ric Flair agreed to make appearances for Impact next week.

Funny how words are more indictable than actions these days.

 

[Cwalker]

Dreamer definitely did Kamikaze himself during that interview. Was unintentional as he still has that “boys will be boys” mentality.

If the DSOTR interview came out right after the Plane Ride of Death, it wouldn’t have been as big as a deal but in 2021 you’re incriminating yourself and everyone else to even talk about it.

Impact did the right thing suspending him

 

[Deezy]

Dreamer isn't exactly the smartest person in the room anywhere he goes. I would've thrown Flair under the bus and stopped the bus and told them to back up.

 

[Chris]

Dreamer definitely did Kamikaze himself during that interview. Was unintentional as he still has that “boys will be boys” mentality.

If the DSOTR interview came out right after the Plane Ride of Death, it wouldn’t have been as big as a deal but in 2021 you’re incriminating yourself and everyone else to even talk about it.

Impact did the right thing suspending him

Yeah, it's pretty wild to me honestly lol. I'd said yesterday that I'm sure people will look bad from the doc but no one would be hurt by it necessarily.....but I did NOT account for someone shoving their foot in their mouth with NEW COMMENTS lmao read the room fam.

Business wise I'm not sure how much if any this hurts Impact creatively bc they have a booking committee but idk if Tommy had a big role or what myself, he gave off that vibe

 

[Smart Marx]

I think this will be a lesson moving forward to wrestlers to think twice before doing interviews for DSOTR.

 

[Chris]

I think this will be a lesson moving to wrestlers to think twice before doing interviews for DSOTR.

I agree more should keep their mouths shut if these are their opinions, ignorance is bliss

 

[Smart Marx]

I agree more should keep their mouths shut if these are their opinions, ignorance is bliss

People don't know that they're opinions won't be popular until their open their mouths, unfortunately.

I think the safest thing is for any active/working wrestlers to stop working with DSOTR altogether, but if you're retired, take the money.

 

[Deezy]

Still baffles me that there are people who are shocked there are unsavory people in a carny biz.

Can't wait until there's a Dark Side Of Rock & Roll.....people going to burn the HOF to the ground.

 

[Smart Marx]

Still baffles me that there are people who are shocked there are unsavory people in a carny biz.

Can't wait until there's a Dark Side Of Rock & Roll.....people going to burn the HOF to the ground.

This is I take I agree with you on. I keep telling people wrestlers are generally not good people.

 

[Chris]

People don't know that they're opinions won't be popular until their open their mouths, unfortunately.

I think the safest thing is for any active/working wrestlers to stop working with DSOTR altogether, but if you're retired, take the money.

I think an intelligent person would have known comparing sexual assault to his man-bun wouldn't be popular but wrestlers are not intelligent so smartest thing would be to not talk, agreed

 

[Smart Marx]

I wonder how NWA is gonna handle this. Isn't Flair headlining their next PPV?

 

[Chris]

I wonder how NWA is gonna handle this. Isn't Flair headlining their next PPV?

Nah he already made his appearance and wasn't scheduled for more, they timed it fairly perfectly as far as publicity goes

 

[Smart Marx]

Nah he already made his appearance and wasn't scheduled for more, they timed it fairly perfectly as far as publicity goes

Really? Someone must have Photoshopped the poster then. I saw a promotion saying Flair was challenging Murdoch for it and I laughed so hard.