Joey Ryan On The Advice He Gives Young Talent, Criticisms Of Intergender Wrestling

Joey Ryan has spent nearly 20 years in the wrestling business and worked for everyone from WWE to Impact Wrestling to Ring of Honor. Someone as experienced as him is bound to be solicited for advice and Ryan discussed on an Impact media call what advice he gives to those just starting out.

"If you're first starting out, I always recommend to find a trainer that's been to places you want to go," Ryan told our Nick Hausman. "That's not necessarily going to determine you getting to those places because that's your own work and your own brand, but it's like a cheat code in a video game. You have someone that can guide you to those places."

Ryan then talked about how you just need to be open to changing things a little bit because all ideas need to be refined at some point.

"Usually the genesis of an idea, especially if you're a lifelong fan, is a pretty good idea. It's just the execution that takes work," stated Ryan.

Ryan has been involved in a number of intergender matches in recent years and he faced Tessa Blanchard at Impact's United We Stand. He responded to criticisms of intergender wrestling and why a man fighting a woman in a ring shouldn't be compared to domestic violence.

"I think an important difference between domestic violence and professional wrestling is consent," said Ryan. "The wrestlers have agreed to wrestle each other?as opposed to domestic violence which isn't consented.

"I'm heavy on the theatrical side of pro wrestling and there is a split as to if pro wrestling is a sport or if it's theater. I lean towards the theatrical part."

Along those lines of wrestling being theater, Ryan then compared intergender wrestling to men and women fighting in movies. No one has a problem when it takes place in film and they should have the same opinions when it takes place in a ring.

"I don't really see the trigger of it because it's consented and it's theater," stated Ryan.