Jai Vidal has signed with IMPACT Wrestling.
In recent weeks, Vidal has appeared as Gisele Shaw's content creator and executive stylist on IMPACT programming. He competed in two matches during the company's Las Vegas tapings in october and December 2021.
Speaking on Outsports' LGBT In The Ring podcast, Vidal confirmed that he has signed a multi-year contract with the company.
"I can’t even put into words how happy I am, how grateful I am for what the last few weeks has brought me. I am very happy and proud to announce that I have signed a multi-year contract with IMPACT Wrestling," Vidal said.
Vidal emphasized that he's on cloud nine, and he's grateful for the opportunity. He noted that Tommy Dreamer offered him the contract. Vidal is the first openly gay man to sign with the promotion, which was founded in 2002. When asked about this aspect of his signing, Vidal emphasized that he has always wanted to knock down barriers.
“I found that out this morning actually, that I am the first openly gay wrestler to sign a contract with IMPACT, and it took me a few minutes for it to actually sink in. It’s like, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ I’m like, wait, no, hold on, that’s groundbreaking. It’s knocking down barriers. It’s everything that I’ve always wanted to do for my community in professional wrestling. I talk about this a lot, but growing up, I had nobody to look up to when it came to representation. So I would always find certain talent that I felt I could just connect to on a different level, such as Shawn Michaels or Jeff Hardy or Eddie Guerrero, because I am Latino, or even female wrestlers. To know that maybe one day down the line somebody will see me on TV and will be inspired by me being openly gay, it will inspire them to chase whatever goals and dreams they have as an open person in the LGBTQ community," Vidal said.
In recent months, Vidal has competed for Coastal Championship Wrestling, GCW, Future Stars of Wrestling, and PCW ULTRA, among other promotions.
Check out the card for this week's episode of IMPACT Wrestling here.
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