Jai Vidal speaks on breaking down barriers for LGBTQ wrestlers and making history in IMPACT Wrestling.
Jai Vidal is the first openly gay wrestler in IMPACT Wrestling, and when he was first told the news, he understood it as something cool, but it did not take long for him to understand the weight of what he’d accomplished.
Speaking on Women’s Wrestling Talk, Vidal reflected on breaking down barriers for other wrestlers in the community.
“It means the world to me, and I’ve said this before, I don’t think it really clicked until I was called by the head of Media Relations at IMPACT. Ross. He called me said, ‘Yeah, I think you’re actually the first openly gay male wrestler to sign with IMPACT.’ I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool,’ and you know, hung up,” Vidal recalled.
“Then, like, two minutes later, I’m just like, ‘No, that’s not just cool. That’s groundbreaking.’ I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do. As a gay man in professional wrestling, I’m doing my part and knocking down barriers. So hopefully down the line, you know, it won’t be looked at as, ‘having your token gay guy.’ There could be more representation in the company, period, when it comes to LGBTQ people in our community. I also think that I forget about it until I go to a show,” he said. “I was I’m at an indie show over here in Vegas, just visiting some friends, and there’s this gay wrestler from Texas. He comes over to me, and he’s very, you know, eyes are wide, and a big smile, and ‘Oh, my gosh, Jai Vidal. It’s so nice to meet you.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, this is cool.’ We’re doing our part, I think, to break down these barriers that should have been broken down a while ago, but we’re doing it now, and that’s the important thing.”
