This may not seem like your average wrestling name, it’s the one that this non-binary professional chose before first entering the ring in 2017. The athlete first made a name for themselves in CHIKARA, an indie wrestling group that was born in Pennsylvania.
If you aren’t familiar with what it means to be non-binary, it means they do not identify as either a man, or a woman, hence why they prefer to be dubbed “them,” and “they,” rather than “him,” “her,” or, “he,” or, “she.” Still Life with Apricots and Pears says they’re a living work of art. They’re the first non-binary wrestling champion in existence.
Rick Cataldo
Rick Cataldo is a gay drag queen and pro wrestler, as well as being a wrestling manager. He operates under the ring name The Boy Diva – the same name that he chooses to use on social media. He, like many other queer wrestlers, take issue with straight athletes “playing” gay,” and feels it often comes off mocking.
The Boy Diva is a self-professed visionary, though he’s definitely helping to (fabulously) kick open some major doors for others who may be following in his footsteps – which likely leave behind stiletto stamps.
Devon Monroe
Minneapolis-born Devin Monroe is fairly new to the world of professional wrestling. He graduated from The Academy: School of Professional Wrestling, making him the 17th person in history to do so. He has over 2000 followers on his Instagram, where he often posts event photos of himself posing in his rainbow-colored short shorts.
He promotes his line of merchandise that he sells on prowrestlingtees.com, on one of which reads, “Devon Monroe: Too Hot to Handle.”
Dark Sheik
The Dark Sheik, AKA Sam Khandaghabadi, is the founder of Hoodslam, an underground professional wrestling event that goes down in Oakland, CA. The openly trans female wrestler started the event after continuously being forced to dull down her act to, “make it appropriate for children.”
According to the founder herself, Hoodslam is more like performance art than traditional wrestling. The event has been occurring since 2013, it has included a number of WWE and ECW wrestlers, including Brian Kendrick and Paul London.
Russell Rogue
A glance at Russell Rogue’s Instagram will tell you that he is a few things, among several others: unapologetically black, and unapologetically queer. He recently combined those two things into a shirt that he sells which says, “Pro Black, Pro Queer, Pro Wrestling.” Rogue first got to start in professional wrestling in 2017, is also sometimes known by his alter ego, Dewey Decimal.
He is very active in the LGBTQ professional wrestling community on social media, where he shares and supports his fellow queer wrestler’s positive happenings, as well as his opinions on the things he feels the industry still needs to change.