Kelly Klein says ‘now well known wrestler’ raped her when she was 18 after urging sexual violence victims to speak out
KELLY KLEIN says she was raped by a ‘by a now well known wrestler’ when she was 18. The three-time Women of Honor champ, 34, said she did not come forward at the time because she feared for her career. I am still contemplating the most effective way to address the situation. Choosing not to […]
KELLY KLEIN says she was raped by a ‘by a now well known wrestler’ when she was 18.
The three-time Women of Honor champ, 34, said she did not come forward at the time because she feared for her career.
But she decided to tweet about the alleged incident as she tries to inspire other victims to speak out.
Klein tweeted: “I didn’t feel like I had support or sufficient proof. I believed my career would be over before it started.
“If you ever think you don’t have anyone to turn to, you do. And there are a lot of us. #SpeakingOut”.
Klein replied to her own tweet and added: “I am still contemplating the most effective way to address the situation.
“Choosing not to post the name at this time has no bearing on the validity of what happened to me.”
A Twitter user urged Klein to go to the police but she replied: “As this was 16 years ago, that is not a viable option at this point.
“I am working with others to find the best ways to protect people from being victimized in the future. Thank you for the support.”
The WWE released a statement yesterday after a number of female fighters came forward with allegations of sexual assault.
The company said: “We take any allegation of this nature very seriously and are looking into the matter.”
St Louis-born Klein posted a tweet calling on victims to unite and make sure they are heard.
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She wrote: “For each time I sought help or support and was ignored. For each time I told the truth and was met with threats and retaliation.
“For each liar who got ahead of the narrative. For each person saved from abuse because we found a way to raise our voices together.”
Klein – currently a free agent – made her debut in Ring of Honor in 2015 but was released by the company last year.