E155: Former WWE Star Becomes Cop & Why I'm Afraid I've Got Some Bad News..

A former TNA, NXT and WWE star, Gunner/Jaxson Ryker who was part of the pandemic releases in November 2021 is now a police officer and I'm afraid I've got some bad news!

Jaxson Ryker was the former leader of a faction in NXT & WWE known as The Forgotten Sons. Everything was going well for Wesley Blake, Steve Cutler (now known as Steve Maclin in IMPACT Wrestling) and their leader Jaxson Ryker. That is until May 25th 2020.

What happened on that day? George Floyd, a black man was killed by white police officer Derek Chauvin killed him by kneeling on Floyd's neck and back for over nine minutes while Floyd was face down saying, "I can't breath."

The Tweet that landed Jaxson Ryker in trouble with WWE

In June, riots and protests would occur all over The United States and here is where I've got some bad news... Jaxson Ryker took it upon himself amidst the protests and riots to tweets,

"Thankful for the @POTUS we have! God bless America. Built of freedom. Forgotten No More

— Jaxson Ryker (@JaxsonRykerWWE) June 1, 2020"

Many wrestling stars, including his own tag team partner would Tweet out against what Ryker said. This would leave the group being removed from television and slowly released with Ryker being let go from WWE November 2021 along with seven other stars that particular day.

He also talks what he was told in WWE after he had tweeted the tweet and they sent him and his teammates home.

Homophobic Tweets

Following his release, Ryker would take to social media in May 2022 tweeting,

CwLail_Gunner

@CWLail_Gunner

Rise up! Rise up against abortion, against homosexuality, against gender agenda, against that which Goes against the Word. Share love in doing so. We all have faced times in sin where a brother or sister showed us Jesus and his love. Church we must love and speak truth

Controversy with CM Punk

Not shortly after, Jaxon Ryker/Gunner aka real name Chad Lail would rant about CM Punk wearing an abortion rights is human rights shirt on AEW television.

CwLail_Gunner

@CWLail_Gunner

How is wearing an “Abortion rights are human rights” shirt on live tv stand for Human rights? Aborting a baby is taking away that living breathing child’s rights. Truly sad. That baby has rights. It’s a human. Jesus change hearts. Jesus we need you

Defending his Tweets & Actions

While appearing on podcasts, Lail would discuss the tweet that got him in trouble in 2020 and talk how he was not sorry for it, and cannot see why the tweet was an issue, but admitted it led to the downfall of The Forgotten Sons in WWE which had a lot of momentum at the time.

Lail also stated things he wished co-workers would have come to talk to him instead of publicly attack him on Twitter which in his eyes is why the Tweet got the attention that it did.

On August 28th, 2023, Ryker/Gunner retires from professional wrestling and on September 14th, 2023 he is sworn in as a police officer for Iredell County Sheriffs Department in North Carolina.

Long story short, if you read between the lines of his tweets, Chad Lail is someone who should not be a cop. The job is to protect and serve, based off his social media, that doesn't seem possible.

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