Dawn Marie, a former colleague of Joey Styles in WWE and ECW, has posted a lengthy "open letter" that supported Joey Styles and also blasted EVOLVE promoter Gabe Saposlky and CHIKARA promoter Mike Quackenbush.
Styles was fired by EVOLVE on Saturday after making an off-color joke during an in-ring promo at EVOLVE 72, which also marked the first event for the promotion being broadcast on FloSlam. CHIKARA and Beyond Wrestling, which also were using Styles on commentary, quickly followed up and made statements that they would no longer be using Styles as well. Styles, during an interview with Wrestlezone Radio after the incident, said he panicked on camera.
Dawn Marie wrote as follows:
"As many of you know I have stepped away from the wrestling business many years ago. I don't even watch the programming and there are maybe a handful of people I still call friends. I like to think of it as I divorced the business. Unfortunately, just as with any divorce, your ex-spouse will do or say something stupid and you find yourself dragged back into something you are trying to move on from. I happen to stumble upon a post a friend in the business made on their social media in regards to their support for Joey Styles. I had no idea what she could be taking about so curiosity killed the cat and I googled Joeys name. I was appalled… NOT ONLY by the sheer bulls--t I was reading but the fact that two of the three parties that were directly involved were not in the business through merit but had to buy their way into it.
I would like to make myself very clear I am not writing this open letter because of a friendship with Joey Styles or any underlying animosity with the other two. A matter of fact I haven't seen or talked to any of them in almost a decade or longer. The only reason I have chosen to step out of the shadows and make my voice heard is because I couldn't keep quiet while watching the deterioration of a business I once love more than I probably loved myself during my tenure.
I remember Quackenbush as a kid when we both broke onto the east coast Indy scene. He had a different style about him and he was small for the industry but skillful. In the locker room, he was often the punchline for a roll of the eyes or a joke amongst the veterans passing through for a payday or with the boys that later became contract wrestlers (Pros) because instead of trying to carve a nitch [sic] and create greatness with his God given talent, he chose to maneuver around the internet and manipulate his own notoriety. This was the era of the 'Smart Marks'. I am saddened that now as an accomplished author and man he used this situation to push and promote his company. He has been around long enough to know the good guys from the bad guys in the business.
I am saddened by Gabe's actions. He should know better than anyone what a 'p---y' move he made as he tried to fill the shoes of his idol Paul Heyman. If you are going to use the Heyman playbook, and suggest to use shock commentating or storyline to elevate your promotion, you better be half the man Heyman was to back that s--t up. Note to Gabe: Paul would have NEVER EVER back down and be a p---y like you did. Not only would he had used this controversy to profit, he would have constructed something that Joey was protected and elevated within the industry. Shame on you! That is straight out of the Paul Heyman playbook 101.
To Quackenbush:
Shame on you for tarnishing a man's name that was small in stature like you but chose to hone his craft and worked hard to EARN his spot in the history books
Shame on you for using the internet once again to feed your self-declared and manufactured moniker
To the fans:
Shame on you the fans that buy into this bulls--t and allow once again these Pariahs manipulate your thoughts for self-elevation, steal your money and laugh about it
To Joey Styles:
Shame on you Joey Styles for hanging your head down low and allowing these synthetic inorganic people use your ingenious talent to elevate themselves because they themselves could never accomplish or create a mark on this industry as you have.
To My Fellow (Contract) Professional wrestling brothers:
Since many of you are still looking to create greatness and are worried about being politically correct I will say it on behalf of all of the boys that feel the same way.
F**k you Quackenbush, you'll never be one of the boys no matter how talented you are in the ring, no matter how hard you try or how many promotions you manufacture to exist in because the REAL business of wrestling is done in the back amongst the men that honor and respect those who came before them. The men that were hand selected and given the business from an old school veteran. This is the greatest business in the world because it was built on the tradition, legacy, and most of all rules. Some like to refer to these rules as locker room etiquette which you have shown none in the way you handled your business of termination in a blog post.
F**k you Gabe it's about time you grow some balls and throw away the p---y that you've been hiding in those cheap suits trying to emulate Paul Heyman while you PLAY WRESTLING.
That's right I said the word p---y 4 times and Joey didn't say it once. If you don't like it change the damn channel. The only thing this east coast sludge fest is missing is if God love his soul, Dennis Carluzzo, rose up from his grave to get into the mix just for sh*ts and giggles."
The original letter can be found HERE.
Mickie James also posted a statement this week in support of Styles, saying he was treated too harshly.
