Jai Vidal has become the first out gay male wrestler to sign with Impact Wrestling. Vidal announced the news himself during an episode of the Outsports podcast LGBT In The Ring.
“I’ve been in the business going on seven years. In February, it’ll be seven years,” Vidal said in a story published on OutSports.com. “All the times that it’s been hard to pay the bills, it’s all finally worth it.”
Vidal was recently introduced to the Impact Wrestling audience as Gisele Shaw’s executive stylist and content creator. Shaw herself came out as transgender in June of this year.
“When I got the call to sign with Impact, I had actually just come back to Florida from the Impact show in Vegas,” he continued. “I was running on zero sleep. I got back and saw the voicemail and called them right back.”
Impact Wrestling Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore said that the company is excited to sign Vidal, calling him a talented and charismatic wrestler who brings a diverse skill-set to the ring.
“We’re proud to welcome another member of the LGBTQ community to the IMPACT roster and further our outreach into that community, which has a deep fanbase for pro wrestling.”