A situation unfolded around Reality of Wrestling and a former regular on their shows, that led to one former champion being fired as a result of being stalked.
Trainee Shawn Reed was asked to stay away from Reality of Wrestling's training venue, shows, and the vicinity of wrestler Raychell Rose after several instances of behavior made her and others uncomfortable, Fightful was told.
Despite these warnings, we're told that Reed made himself present numerous times around Rose and others. Rose attempted to file stalking and harassment charges, but the charges were denied on the grounds that Rose and Reed were never in a relationship with one another. Rose claims that an officer did make contact with Reed and indicate that he should leave Rose alone.
Fightful obtained conversations as far back as August 2021, where it was indicated to Reed that his behavior was an issue. Reed had cited that Rose had "manipulated him into thinking she was single," despite it being widely known in the company that she was in a long-term relationship. A ROW official, who Rose said was Kevin Bernhardt instead urged Reed to train at Premier, as his attendance at ROW had been sparse as is. Reed claimed he was bullied and had extenuating circumstances, but was still urged to leave. Rose told Fightful that Bernhardt knew Rose performed at Premier, and still encouraged Reed to go there instead. We reached out to Bernhardt about the story, but did not hear back. Rose told Fightful that Bernhardt was supposed to inform Booker T – the face and owner of Reality of Wrestling – but did not do so.
On March 5, 20220 Rose was wrestling at the Houston Premier Arena, when Reed arrived. When Fightful spoke with Blake Jones, he claimed that he had Reed ejected from the venue, and made a comment alluding to harming people in the venue. An incident report was filed on March 7, and on March 10, ROW official Kevin Bernhardt instructed Reed not to come to an upcoming event that Rose would be featured on. Reed contacted Bernhardt again on June 27, 2022 for permission to attend an upcoming show, but Bernhardt denied him in what appeared to be an amicable exchange.
Jones and Rose both claim that Bernhardt referred multiple problematic trainers to Premier. We reached out to Bernhardt about the story, but had not gained a response after several weeks.
On September 9, Reed messaged Rose in an attempt to make amends, after he'd been instructed numerous times to not contact her, including by police.
Then, in December 2022, a situation unfolded after a Reality of Wrestling show that saw multiple arrests, including Reed. However, there were claims on behalf of students of Reality of Wrestling that it could have been prevented.
Numerous sources indicated to us that Reed once again appeared at a Reality of Wrestling show where Rose was competing. Rose was not informed of this, as Reality of Wrestling Officials were removing him from the venue. However, Rose's claim was that she was to notify police immediately if Reed were to be around her.
Booker T, who was not aware of the situation, or Reed himself, encountered Reed in the parking lot. The claim from talent at Reality of Wrestling was that Reed had made threats on himself as well as implied to Bookew directly he'd considered attacking others at the school, with some claiming that he even mentioned shooting up the venue. We're told that Booker walked Reed back into the venue after he'd been ejected, in what he claimed was an effort to calm Reed down and prevent him from doing anything "crazy."
Following the show, Reed was at a bar that Reality of Wrestling performers visit after every show as a tradition, with many claiming that he knew of this and had popped up there prior. Rose approached Reed when she saw him, telling him to stay away from her and that she was calling the police. Before the police arrived, Reality of Wrestling talent confronted Reed, who Rose said hit a ROW Wrestler with a glass mug and attempted to strike her. Reed was arrested after the fight, and the charges
A Reality of Wrestling talent was also arrested for disorderly conduct in conjunction with the situation, but Booker T claimed the talent's charges were expunged and he was quickly bonded out. Those we spoke to said that the attacked ROW talent's medical expenses weren't covered, though Rose thought they should be.
Rose told Fightful that Reality of Wrestling claimed there was a trespass warrant for Shawn Reed after December, but that police confirmed in the report that wasn't the case. Rose claims she was told that ROW would have armed security and cameras to help prevent issues, which she says also didn't end up happening.
Rose said that upon speaking with Booker T after the incident, that she was fired from Reality of Wrestling, which she felt wasn't justified. She felt as if she was effectively cut from the company due to having a stalker in which she'd warned the company about. Those familiar with the situation claim she was blamed for causing the problematic personality to be around, even though he'd been warned numerous times to stay away.
Fightful made contact with Booker T, and he did confirm that Rose was fired from ROW, citing internal reasons that he wouldn't elaborate on. He also confirmed that the incident at Stuttgarden Tavern took place, and it was of his opinion that the ROW talent should have distanced themselves from Shawn Reed instead of confronting him. ROW talent present and past that we spoke to said that Reed was well aware that the talent would be there, and believed that he did it intentionally as a result.
Booker insisted that the timing of this story emerging was due to a meeting at the January 13 Reality of Wrestling show that related to loyalty among the wrestlers. We can confirm that we heard of this story after Booker T and Reality of Wrestling told their talent that they didn't want their wrestlers working other independent companies in Houston. Booker was also curious as to why it took a year for the story to emerge, which Rose said was because she feared possible retaliation from Reed, and finally felt safe sharing the story. Booker called the issue a "nonstory" and pointed to Reality of Wrestling's track record of not having similar stories emerge from their company.
"Booker screamed and cursed at me when he arrived on the scene while I was talking to police at the December incident that this was my fault and I’m the reason people got hurt and arrested," Rose said.
Another witness at the bar after this article was published said "When Shawn Reed was kicked out of the show, he went to the bar that he knew we all would go to after the show. Kevin, Booker, and many others told us 'If Shawn is at that bar, you need to leave and we will go somewhere else. We'll go to Whataburger or something.' I remember that vividly. We go to the bar, Shawn is there, some of us decided that we didn't want to go elsewhere. So while he is sitting at the actual bar, we are sitting at a table all the way across the bar. Eventually, more people start piling in. Raychell Rose and others. They're yelling at him, get the fuck out of here, screaming, losing their minds. He was sitting at the bar, they went and antagonized him. 7 wrestlers surrounding him at the bar, and of course things broke out in violence because that dude felt crazy threatened. I'm not claiming he did nothing wrong. The creepy fuck shouldn't have been at the bar, or near the venue. But it's really no shock to anyone that it blew up this way. Things got intense, everyone separated, and then Kevin had to call Booker and bring him in. Booker also got a call from the bar owner. Booker comes in, lines everyone involved in the brawl on the wall and did come down hard on them. Because the bar owner was great friends with Booker, and it was really embarrassing for Booker to have a local business owner know that his kids caused a bloody fight in a bar (Several) were let go. One person was brought back because he came to Booker with a heartfelt apology for his involvement, and now things are good with him again. But for the others who were asked not to come back to shows, everything was handled very emotionally and blown up."
We can confirm that there were multiple wrestlers who claim they left Reality of Wrestling in protest after the situation. One told Fightful that they left because the situation left them feeling unsafe and not protected at the venue after the situation unfolded, in light of the threats they heard Reed had spoken of.
The witness who wished to remain anonymous said "The heat has been so pervasive in this scene for so long - everyone knows about it, and there have been plans in motion from one side to another to try and fuck with ROW. I've heard so many groups of people talk about how they want to take down ROW, and this just feels too close to me... A group of wrestlers, all of whom coincidentally are at New Texas, want to take ROW down and it feels like they're striking at the point where ROW is in the most limelight with the recent NXT signees they've been bringing in, etc. This feels motivated in a lot of ways that aren't true to the message. ROW does not abuse their guys, ROW doesn't treat people unfairly, and I'm bothered that these claims have been made in the first place. Booker T and the other guys there are strict, they're harsh sometimes, but they're fair. They'll let you know that you fucked up, you suffer the consequences, and they hope you grow as a person and come back to them. You look at Booker's track records of arrests and the way he changed his life around, this is a guy who loves second chances, but a lot of people on the opposite side went and started talking a lot of smack, and then the door to rehab the relationship closed."
However, before publication, Rose spoke about her feelings on the matter.
Rose spoke with Fightful and said “To speak on the personal side of things, My safety has not been secure for years due to Shawn Reed and the lack of support I received from the people in charge at Reality of Wrestling which allowed Shawn's actions to escalate the way they did unchecked. This issue being allowed to fester for so long has resulted in many hours of speaking in person to and on the phone with police officers, district attorneys, and lawyers because of this situation. I’ve spent and continue to spend a great deal of time in therapy sessions to process trauma related to this incident in hopes of one day fully overcoming the effects of it. That itself comes with a stigma, but it’s all a part of the healing process which I am learning to navigate and fully embrace.”
Fightful has obtained incident reports from when Reed appeared at Premier Arena, where Rose had wrestled, and was asked to leave. Fightful reached out to each name listed on the incident report as a witness for their account of events. We’ve also obtained numerous screenshots of messages where Reed was instructed to stay away.
Rose told Fightful "Overall I hope what comes out of this is Booker, along with the people placed in charge at his school, implement procedures and protections to ensure all threats are taken seriously in the future. Should they continue to not make students' safety their priority, I hope that at the very least any women who train there or are looking for a place to train see this and are able to make an educated decision before they to put their safety into the hands of Reality of Wrestling."
Rose has done well outside of Realty of Wrestling and has already appeared on WWE and AEW/ROH programming this year.
She spoke on her time at ROW, by saying ““I’m thankful for the start that Reality of Wrestling gave me. Especially the original trainers that used to be there, they taught me so much but more importantly they protected me and created a culture that encouraged everyone to look out for each other. Despite these positive feelings about how things used to be, it doesn’t absolve the actions taken by Booker T and Kevin Bernhardt that were geared towards protecting their reputation and downplaying the events that led up to and followed the events of that night."
The details of the incident report from December 2022 were provided to Fightful:
“Dispatch advised the caller, later identified as Kellee Ramirez was requesting contact in regards to a subject arrested last night by this agency being a suspect in a stalking case out of Friendswood. I then made contact with Ramirez using my department-issued cellular device. Ramirez answered and was asked to explain the details of the incident. Ramirez advised that a male she knew who she identified as Shawn Michael Reed, showed up where she worked last night, started a fight, and was arrested. Ramirez advised that when she tried to speak with officers pertaining to the history between she and Reed, she was only asked about the events that took place at that time.
Ramirez advised that she has known Reed for approximately 3 years. Ramirez advised that she and Reed used to work out at the same gym as aspiring professional wrestlers until 8/28/2021, when Reed told her boss that he was romantically involved with Ramirez. Ramirez advised that was not true and that when Reed found out she was involved with her long-time boyfriend he told her that he could not trust himself around her and got upset. Ramirez advised that Reed was subsequently banned from the gym after that.
Ramirez advised that she eventually reported the conduct to the Friendswood Police Department and provided this officer with Friendswood Police Department case number: 22-0492. Ramirez advised that after that incident the contact from Reed pretty much stopped but that since that time Reed has shown up at various venues that she performs at as a professional wrestler.
Ramirez advised that last night while performing at the World Gym Arena which is attached to Stuttgarden, Reed showed up. Ramirez advised that Reed and another one of her co-workers ended up in a physical altercation in which Reed threw a large beer mug and also took a swing at her. Ramirez advised that Reed and the co-worker were arrested as a result of the incident. Ramirez advised that she made contact with Officer Dusek with the Friendswood Police Department as she was the reporting officer on the original case. Ramirez advised that she informed Officer Dusek of the events that took place last night and that she was advised she also needed to speak with Texas City Police regarding Reed.
I then researched the case number from the incident last night, Texas City Police case #22-007382 but was unable to locate the report in RMS. I then contacted the Friendswood Police Department and spoke with Officer Dusek. Officer Dusek informed me that the original report was filed in March and that it was information only as no offense had been reported as of that date to meet the elements of threats or harassment. It was learned that this is not the first instance of Reed showing up at the location in Texas City as according to Officer Dusek, Ramirez originally filed the report after seeing Reed at a show in March.
I then made contact with Ramirez once again and she explained that as far as she knew Reed had been issued a trespass warning for the property and knew that his presence was not welcome. Ramirez advised that when she was going through emails looking for Officer Dusek`s information she came across an email that she did not know she had received from Reed from September of this year, in which Reed states that he knows that his presence makes her uncomfortable, according to Reed. Ramirez was asked to screenshot the email and send it to this officer. Ramirez further advised that she explained to the officers last night what took place regarding the incident with Reed but that when she attempted to go into further detail she was unable to do so. Ramirez advised that she wanted to document the incident due to the reoccurrences of Reed's arrival to the location.
Ramirez was informed that with the venues being open to the public and with Reed also being an aspiring wrestler that it would have to be proved that Reed's intentions were to alarm, torment, harass, or otherwise abuse her specifically or if he was just going as a result of his interest in the sport. I checked Reed using in-house RMS records and did not locate any current active criminal trespass warnings for any properties.
Ramirez was advised that if Reed were to show up to a venue that she should speak with the management, security staff, or venue manager to seek a criminal trespass warning be issued. Ramirez was advised that should Reed contact her moving forward in a harassing or threatening manner, that she should make reports/documentation with the local agency.
Prior to the completion of this report, I read the email sent to this officer by Ramirez said to be from Reed. In the email Reed acknowledges that "their interactions were not constructive" but the basis of the email appeared to be Reed apologizing for any of his actions.
Based on the information provided, Ramirez was advised that a report would be completed to document the incident and information and was advised to contact this agency if contact from Reed were to continue. Body camera footage was later downloaded for further review. This is documented for informational purposes only as it does not appear that elements for an offense have been met. “
Reed posted the following statement on Facebook:
Yeah that whole incident was lied about and she abused the hell out of me to get what she wanted which was for me to get kicked out of wrestling so her friend's had one less talent to deal with. I never thought we had anything, I was confused by some similarties with our character's and thought maybe she was coming onto me, I didn't know if she was single or not because we never really spoke but I did hit her up once with no reply and that was it. After that I got kicked out of ROW due to attendance and went to a Premier show to see if I would like to ask them about training. I saw her there but never spoke to her and she had Blake kick me out which got me heated because after ROW I felt like I was getting booted out of the buisness in what was a complete political bullying move. I did say I'd come back and fight them because I was angry but I cooled off and let it go. After that awhile went by and I wanted to go up to Booker's to apologize for my late attendance and asked if I could come back, I did mention that when they let me go after 4 Year's of cleaning up and setting up their shows and dealing with all the ribbing that comes with the buisness and because I was in a horrible mental state having had my phone hacked and sent on both Facebooks videos and YouTube videos recommended death threats that yeah I brought a gun to the school the day I got let go but I knew I wasn't gonna do anything, I was just angry and seeing red that I had my career halted over being to poor to attend training regularly. I went home that day and let go of all that anger for good. I told Booker at that show and he atleast acted understanding, I think knowing the politics that were being played and said he would talk to the ROW roster about me coming back, after that I watched the show and went to stud to have a meal by myself when Kellee confronted me and told me to leave with another Wrestler getting in my face, I said not until I was finished eating and tried to explain how I felt nothing for her and that I just wanted to focus on my career. After that she came back with the same Wrestler+2 other's and Kevin and they all very threateningly told me to leave, I wasn't about to be threatened again so I said no, they huddled around me like they were about to attack me so I threw my drink in the first wrestler's face and punched him and only him while everyone jumped me, at no point did I lay hands on anyone else and after a night in jail I was let go free and the judge was pretty understanding of how stupid the situation was. The cold truth is she was likely told to play this up by other wrestler's to get me kicked out because I was being looked at as a possible big talent which threatened them. I won't be going back to ROW to save Booker the headache but I'm not quitting Wrestling because some Diva wants to play gang politics to help her friend's. Your Article has atleast a few lies in it and it's a shame that it's even still a story year's later when everyone has should have grown up so much more since. Last thing I'll say is if you get into the wrestling buisness, stay away from kliqs and don't let drama interfere with the buisness itself, check emotions at the door and just do a good job.
Fightful will update fans if there are further comments or information.
