Former WWE Star Debuts For IMPACT

It looked like Rich Swann’s career was over after being arrested for assaulting his wife and being suspended from WWE. When he left WWE things didn’t get any better. He got into a few twitter beefs and announced his retirement from pro-wrestling. With the encouragement and blessing of his wife, IMPACT star Su Yung, Swann has returned to the ring. Working for MLW, CZW, and now Impact. The former WWE Cruiserweight champion debuted on the June 28th episode of IMPACT taking on former X-Division champion and short-shorts enthusiast Trevor Lee.

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Does Swann deserve a 2nd chance?

This is a touchy subject. Never before has the light shone so brightly on men who abuse women. The #MeToo movement hasn’t hit wrestling as hard as other entertainment genres, but the tolerance for domestic abusers and sexual predators has decreased dramatically. This good for everyone, men, and women. Swann’s case is unique. There’s no evidence he attacked his wife before or since. In fact, his wife has been his biggest champion in getting Swann back into the ring and IMPACT brass noted that they consulted extensively with Yung before offering her husband a contract.

For all the good the #MeToo movement has done at exposing vicious predators, there is a small side effect to that. We rush to judgment and instantly convict everyone accused of wrongdoing. There are moments when this can go wrong. When you rush to judgment, you ruin more lives and make it harder to expose real predators. We should excuse any abuse. Rich was 100% wrong for putting hands on his wife. He knows that. His wife knows that. She made the decision to stand by him and be with him. We should respect her decision. That doesn’t mean you have to cheer for Swann. But in attacking him while the victim has forgiven him, you are re-traumatizing Su and putting her in an awful position. We should always listen to victims even when they say what we don’t want them to.