WWE superstars who came out of the closet

WWE is a global franchise, consisting of wrestlers from all walks of life, different nationalities, various races and different personalities, bringing out the multicultural nature of the sport. Today’s world is a free one, with people at liberty to love who they want – be it from the opposite sex or their own.And with the United States, the home of WWE, declaring gay marriage legal across its borders, people can now profess it in the open. But did you know that some of the wrestlers on WWE’s roster came out of the closet, whether it was part of a script or in real life, long before the law was passed? With that in mind, let’s take a look at 10 WWE superstars who came out of the closet.

#1 Pat Patterson

Pat Patterson

WWE Hall of Famer Pierre Clermont aka Pat Patterson, popularly known as the first Intercontinental Champion, was one of the first WWE superstars to come out. Patterson was openly gay since the 1970s but his sexuality wasn’t brought about in the WWE until last year during the WWE Legends’ House.

In fact, Patterson had to step down from WWE after he was accused of homosexually harassing employees. Currently, a creative consultant with the WWE, Patterson was in a relationship with longtime partner Louis Dondero for 40 years until his death. The 74-year-old originally wanted to become a priest after serving as an altar boy for years but was dissuaded from perusing his dream after being told he was “too adventurous”.

#2 Darren Young

Darren Young

Fredrick Douglas Rosser III aka Darren Young, the former WWE Tag Team Champion and current RAW star, was an athlete since his school days and was an accomplished footballer before deciding that wrestling was the sport for him.

After wrestling on the independent circuit for sometime, Young first appeared on WWE in 2005, making several appearances before winning the Tag Team Championship with his Prime Time Players teammate Titus O’Neil earlier this year. Young created history in 2013 when he declared he was gay, becoming the first wrestler to come out while still with the WWE.

The 35-year-old received widespread support for his honesty from many including the WWE, who released a statement of support, as well as fellow colleagues.

#3 Chris Kanyon

Chris Kanyon

The story of the late Christopher Klucsarits aka Chris Kanyon is indeed a puzzling one. Known for his decade long stint on WWE, Kanyon began a gimmick of being an openly gay wrestler who was released by WWE due to his sexuality.

The wrestler later gave a series of interviews declaring his actions were just a publicity stunt possibly to attract new employers, only to do a u-turn and declare that he was gay for real. Before his passing, Kanyon even authored a book titled Wrestling Reality in which he described his struggles as a closeted gay in the tough atmosphere of WWE.

#4 Orlando Jordan

Orlando Jordan

Jordan was more popular for his stint on TNA, but still enjoyed a fan following during his time with WWE. After excelling at gymnastic as a child, Jordan made the leap to wrestling and finally got his big break in 2003. He beat John Cena with the help of JBL in 2003 to become the new United States Champion – the first and only title he won in the WWE.

Currently residing in Australia, Jordan came out as bisexual and married an Australian woman in 2013. The 40-year-old is the owner of two wrestling schools, one in his adopted residence of Melbourne and focuses his time on scouting upcoming talent.

#5 Tylene Buck

Tylene Buck

Tylene Buck’s story is somewhat similar to Mendes’, though her sexuality has played a much larger role in her career up to this point. Buck first broke into the wrestling world in 1999, wrestling for the WCW as a member of the nWo Girls. She wrestled as the character Major Gunns. Buck’s wrestling career died out after a few years bouncing around some meandering storylines.

She had few notable storylines, and was released from the WCW by 2001. After trying her hand at Xtreme Pro Wrestling for a while, she retired from the sport for good, turning to a different industry entirely. Buck is bisexual and now working as an adult actress, performing in front of webcams and in adult films.

#6 Terry Garvin

Terry Garvin

The late Terry Joyal aka Terry Garvin was known for being openly homosexual during his time with WWE, then known as WWF. In fact he was known to keep an address book full of names and addresses of partners he hooked up with when on the road.

Garvin was even accused of stalking a 19-year-old, who eventually reached a settlement with WWE, and gained national attention after WWE chief Vince McMahon discussed the incident with talk show host Larry King on CNN’s Larry King Live. Barry Orton, uncle of WWE superstar Randy Orton, even telephoned the show to confess that Garvin stalked him in 1978.

Garvin was a close friend of colleague Pat Patterson, also a homosexual, who was also from his hometown of Montreal.

#7 Rosa Mendes

Rosa Mendes

Milena Roucka aka Rosa Mendes has got to be one of WWE’s most popular Divas and gained wide popularity for her time on E! Series - Total Divas. Mendes first got her big break in 2006 when she gained attention in WWE’s Diva Search, reaching the final eight, and although she didn’t win the completion, she convinced the WWE hierarchy of her talent and was awarded a development contract.

The 35-year-old came out as bisexual last October on an episode of Total Divas, and as of this April was in a relationship with clothing company owner Bobby Schubenski.

#8 Ernie Roth

Ernie Roth

Ernie Roth was a mainstay in professional wrestling from way back. He was known as the Grand Wizard of Wrestling or Abdullah Farouk. While he wasn’t a wrestler himself, per se, he was a highly influential manager to some of the greatest and most infamous heels in professional wrestling history (the Sheik being a prime example). He was given just as much exposure as the wrestlers of his time, and for that reason we feel comfortable including him on our list.

A Hall of Fame inductee in 1995, Roth was always sporting flamboyantly colored turbans and sequined jackets when he was next to the ring coaching on his wrestlers. He was openly homosexual, and his sexuality has even been discussed in documentaries including The World’s Greatest Wrestling Managers.

#9 Matt Cage

Matt Cage

Matt Cage debuted in 2009 and has been making the rounds throughout several independent league circuits. He is widely known as an indie wrestler at this stage in his career, though his popularity just took a huge surge due to a very recent coming out statement.

By recent, we mean as recent as it possibly can be. Following the legalization of gay marriage throughout the United States, Cage put forth a public statement in which he opened up to being gay via various social media outlets. The heartfelt statement has been circulating over the internet and is very quickly becoming a viral sensation.

Cage states that the statement has relieved a tremendous amount of stress as well as the burden of depression off of his shoulders.