Enzo Suspended Amid Rape Alligations

[Richard Blonoff]

https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/...tedly-under-investigation-for-sexual-assault/

Well how is that for breaking news the day of Raw's 25th?

In the wake of the rash of sexual harassment allegations that have popped up in the news, I think a lot of us thought it was only a matter of time before something WWE related came to light. I don't think many, if anyone, thought it would be Enzo in the news though.

I know it may not be popular opinion, but suspending Enzo while the investigation goes on is the right move. If they allowed Enzo, a current champion, to hold a belt and be on TV while he is being investigated for such a heinous crime would send the wrong message, especially by a company like WWE that has an already iffy past with sexual misconduct.

Feel free to speculate the future of Enzo, the Cruiserweight Title, and anything else related below.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Two instances of negative publicity for a trinket title, could WWE just scrap the Cruiserweight division and erase it from memory?

 

[Dave]

Christ!

Right now, there's no evidence except a Twitter accusation from someone who freely admits that she uses drugs like meth and coke. I'm not saying there's no substance to it, I'm just saying that he shouldn't be hung out to dry on that "evidence" alone. Truth is, even if it did happen, I don't think it could ever be proven.

It's a shitty thing to go through for Enzo, especially if it's untrue. But the WWE is right to suspend him whilst this unfolds. I'd hate to think that he'd be so fucking idiotic as to carry this out. But, let's face it, no one would be surprised.

 

[Sean Valjean]

Innocent until proven guilty but I don't blame WWE for suspending Enzo. Given that sexual harassment/assault has been a hot button topic in entertainment, promoting a talent slapped with the same charges practically begs for bad press. I hope Enzo isn't that stupid/terrible and that this is a big misunderstanding. However, given everything I've heard about Enzo...I wish this were further from the realm of possibility.

Man, the Cruiserweight division can't catch a break can it? In addition to a lousy time-slot and general lack of interest, it's suffered the abrupt departures of Neville and Aries, the Rich Swann situation, and now this. Misfortune is the REAL Cruiserweight champ.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In a situation like this, WWE has to watch its own collective ass so suspending Enzo was the right move. I'm not necessarily saying that it's fair given that Enzo may be completely innocent but the company's back is against the wall and they simply cannot feature someone who's accused of rape on their TV program.

Am I surprised that Enzo's been accused of this? In some ways, sure because we all have heard the various RUMORS over the years of stuff that's gone down in WWE in years past and, frankly, I keep expecting someone to accuse Vince McMahon of sexual harassment or outright abuse. I do find myself wondering if this is a case where she says she was "raped" in the sense that she was assaulted or if it's one of those "upon further reflection" bullshit cases in which she decides she was "raped" after a consensual encounter.

And just in case someone decides to bring it up at some point and start accusing WWE of hypocrisy concerning allegations made against Roman Reigns, this is a rape allegation and it's a whole different ballgame compared to being accused by someone of purchasing steroids.

My initial reaction is that this woman isn't all that trustworthy. As has been mentioned, she has a history of hardcore drug use, she doesn't seem all that stable mentally and has a history of making up stories, including one in which she faked a pregnancy. She also very much comes across as another fame hungry, social media freak who feels like she's owed fame for being as big of a trainwreck as she can possibly be. After all, instead of going to the police with her accusations, she takes to social media; accusations like this one really cheapen the #MeToo Movement.

 

[Da Prophet]

Yeah, are people actually looking at the twitter account which is making these accusations? I'll believe he is innocent until proven guilty because that's still a thing. Obviously, do an investigation as you would with any of these types of cases and treat it seriously.

WWE made the correct decision to suspend him but this story is muddy. This lady is into those hardcore drugs, apparently she has faked a pregnancy and it appears she was kicked out of home by her dad. She is currently doing work to fix holes in her story relating to a stay in a medical facility regarding access to a phone, I'm not sure what it's about but it's necessary for her to try and fix I guess.

It's not exactly a slam dunk conviction here.

 

[wwe fan2009]

he may be innocent but they had to suspend him or it would make wwe look bad.

 

[Loveless]

Typically I tend to give the accuser the benefit of the doubt because it seems less damaging on the whole, but this woman seems dodgy as fuck. Obviously the WWE have to suspend him as a precaution but I don't see this case going very far. The fallout however could be huge.

 

[louchratis]

WWE obviously did the right thing. They're a publicly traded company so he needs to be suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. Even TNA/Impact/Whatever knew Alberto had to be suspended after the airport thing with Paige, pending the investigation. It's how businesses run. As for any questions regarding whether or not it's actually all that surprising given Enzo's reputation as a massive douche, I don't know. I'm not backstage and neither are very few of the supposed "insiders" who claimed he had tons of heat a few months back.

 

[jpickens]

Either way it looks bad for Enzo because even if he's found not guilty as it appears to be the case in today's guilty until proven guilty which means until the day he's released or leaves his career is in the shitter.

 

[mooseman]

Not sure if anyone can answer this question but what happens if after the investigation they don't charge him with anything and he' innocent? Like he should be able to go after her for damaging his reputation but what him and the WWE? Would they have to backpay him for his entire time being suspended?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

They'll pay him anyway... he hasn't been charged with anything yet so not to do so would invite a lawsuit if found innocent, reality is though, he is gone... they've got the excuse now and he's brought a shitstorm down on them by association.
L
ook at what happened to Roman this week, his name got "dropped", he denied it but he still lost his title, at best just someone dropped his name, at worst cos he knows the guy...

The problem WWE has here is that thanks to Enzo, guilty or not the press WILL go looking into the past and there is some stuff there they really don't want re-hashing, Jerry Lawler's statutory rape case for example... The Garvin/Phillips and Sable cases... AND Someone mentioned the top dog being accused... he was in the past... WWE just goes after ANYONE who mentions it or repeats the actual allegations... google it, it's scary as #metoo is tailor made for that situation. Will be interesting to see what happens once the press dig that one up... which is likely after this.

 

[Da Prophet]

Look at what happened to Roman this week, his name got "dropped", he denied it but he still lost his title, at best just someone dropped his name, at worst cos he knows the guy...

Um, Roman dropped the belt so he can go into Mania against Brock Lesnar as has been written in stone, signed, sealed and delivered for about the last twelve months. Everybody was calling Reigns dropping the belt before the Rumble as now he is perhaps the biggest favourite for it. The chance that the steroid allegation had anything to do with Reigns dropping the belt is the same chance as I have at being a wizard.

And I wouldn't count Enzo as gone. Steve Austin beat his wife and they have no problem parading him around as a hero. If Enzo is innocent he'll be back.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

And I wouldn't count Enzo as gone. Steve Austin beat his wife and they have no problem parading him around as a hero. If Enzo is innocent he'll be back.

I'm not so sure. The difference, other than Austin being a mega star, is that when Austin beat Debra, it wasn't huge news at the time and WWE was largely able to sweep it under the rug. Now, with the way the world is connected, news spreads fast and it is much harder for anyone to sweep crimes under the rug. Hogan dropped a few n-bombs and was written out for a while and still hasn't been on TV, Snuka got erased for a bit when the murder trial was going on. WWE usually takes quick action when someone screws up, and they often take a while to forgive. Numerous WWE talents have been arrested for DUI and get slaps on the wrist, but I think that is more due to how the public views DUI compared to this or abuse like Swann was suspended for. The only real talent I can think of that have been fired in recent years for actually having run ins with the law were Emma for the shoplifting fiasco and Del Rio when he hit that backstage worker and he threatened a lawsuit.

I mean Abraham Washington was fired for a rape joke, so an actual rape acquisition might stick with someone.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

And I wouldn't count Enzo as gone. Steve Austin beat his wife and they have no problem parading him around as a hero. If Enzo is innocent he'll be back.

It was a very different world when all this with Austin & Debra went down. There was no Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, people weren't as tightly connected then as they are now and the whole world now can find out what's going on in the world via social media faster than by watching the news. Nowadays, people can only find out about that if they spend time actually looking for it, doing some sort of research; while said information is only a point and click away, it's ancient history as far as most people are concerned today. WWE and Austin were able to sweep all that under the rug but they wouldn't be able to get away with it today. For instance, if Austin and Debra went down today, Debra would have pics of herself, probably looking disheveled or showing bruises or whatever, if there was any sort of indication she'd been hit, along with her accusations on Twitter. They'd have no choice but to suspend Austin or flat out cut him loose, depending on the circumstances.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

And I wouldn't count Enzo as gone. Steve Austin beat his wife and they have no problem parading him around as a hero. If Enzo is innocent he'll be back.

Good luck with that. At that time nobody cared as long as you are not convicted, now as long as you look the woman in wrong way you get slapped with sexual allegations and you are out of work. With Oprah and others on your tail you wont last long in todays society with so much as accusation. They pretty much have whole movement now dedicated that you dont. Which is fine, except they treat it as something you are always guilty as soon as your name is dropped. Not as something you need legal ways to prove.

That being said I am not surprised by Enzo name showing there. I its true that his character in WWE is him in real life its easy to see how his behavior could get him in trouble.

 

[Navi]

This is a terrible thing to say, somehow it didn't surprise me to see Enzo's name attached to something like this. Out of the whole locker room he's the one I would have picked to get himself in trouble.

Whether the allegations are true, the WWE was right to suspend him for the time being. Unfortunately for the police both parties are kind of dodgy. She is no prize but then again neither is he.

 

[Greg4WWE]

Sounds to me like it went down, but hardly rape.

Enzo is mainly guilty of having bad taste. Maybe an STD now.

 

[Spencesc11]

From the screen snaps of her account after the incident it does look a little flaky but as far as the WWE is concerned this is another incident with Amore that just continues to show his bad choices. I think with WWE trying to stay in the PG lane I would consider releasing him after his contract runs out even if the charges are dropped.

 

[The Life Of Pablo Ren]

A police report was filed 4 days after it happened, so the accusations aren't completely baseless. Not that anyone thought they really were, but I've seen people try and belittle the woman because of the lifestyle that she leads... which really isn't fair to her.

It's a slippery slope, I'm not sure if there's any way Enzo can be brought back and have it reflect positively on the WWE. I guess I agree with the party that says if he's not charged for the rape he shouldn't be fired but at the same time SOMETHING happened that night. Enzo and the woman were in that room, that much has been confirmed. The woman says that there was meth and cocaine going around and if that's true, even if Enzo wasn't partaking in the use of it, it won't be a good look for him or the company.

It's gonna be a tough call to make, but it's good that they jumped on the story quick and took the appropriate action needed right now.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

***Update - As I wrote this... He's gone, it's flashed up on Facebook literally a minute ago!" AW called, he like Enzo's ass out the door ain't stopping!.


He's already had heat because of the people he "hangs out with" and tried to bring backstage... plus that this whole Cruiser title push was a "last chance" for him and whatever the outcome, he will be released once its resolve... even if its one of their "release for a year and rehire" situations.

He's flown close to the sun outside of WWE with his choices for a while and either way it has now brought bad publicity that will lead to people looking into older scandals again... THAT is more the problem, innocent or not. WWE has a VERY shady past when it comes to sexual harrassment etc... and there are plenty of cases where they had to take some kind of action...

Remember when Michael Hayes was caught trying to get an alcoholic Diva drunk? Sable sued them for harrassment and of course the quickly dropped angle where Melina implied Batista had raped her and he said "thanks for the warm up..." That's before the BIG cases... you bring that kind of spotlight on the company, regardless of if you actually did anything wrong... you're going to be leaving sooner rather than later.

 

[d_henderson1810]

They'll pay him anyway... he hasn't been charged with anything yet so not to do so would invite a lawsuit if found innocent, reality is though, he is gone... they've got the excuse now and he's brought a shitstorm down on them by association.
L
ook at what happened to Roman this week, his name got "dropped", he denied it but he still lost his title, at best just someone dropped his name, at worst cos he knows the guy...

The problem WWE has here is that thanks to Enzo, guilty or not the press WILL go looking into the past and there is some stuff there they really don't want re-hashing, Jerry Lawler's statutory rape case for example... The Garvin/Phillips and Sable cases... AND Someone mentioned the top dog being accused... he was in the past... WWE just goes after ANYONE who mentions it or repeats the actual allegations... google it, it's scary as #metoo is tailor made for that situation. Will be interesting to see what happens once the press dig that one up... which is likely after this.

Too bad the press won't go back and see if there have been instances of those in the media being involved in sexual harrassment.

I mean Matt Lauer was accused. How many other media people are doing the same thing that they throw stones at everyone else for? Bunch of hypocrites, the media.

If I was Vince, and I had his money, I would hire a PI and have him follow around media people who go after WWE, and then construct "dirt files" on them. Then, some of them might be a bit more reluctant to bag WWE when their own personal private lives could surface, and suddenly, a wife of a media type gets compromising photos of her self-righteous media husband entering a motel room with another woman.