Backstage reaction to Rich Swann’s arrest

Rich Swann’s suspension from WWE following his domestic violence arrest on Sunday was a shock to many people in WWE but others were not too surprised.

As first noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, some that knew Swann and his wife, Vanarah Riggs (aka independent wrestler Su Yung), say that they are two “broken” people due to events that took place in their lives before professional wrestling. Someone that knew them describes this situation as very unfortunate because Swann’s career could be over and this could be devastating for them financially as a couple.

Swan told his story on “Best Friends with Rich Swann” for Highspots a couple of years ago. He talked about his father abusing his mother when he was young. His father was killed by his girlfriend and Swann was just 12 at the time. He talked about falling in with a rough crowd and getting on cocaine after his mother died when he was 16. Swann was homeless for a period of time. His supplier died of a heart attack and, with the help of his aunt, he stopped using cocaine and then began to turn his life around. He credits wrestling for saving his life. Following his arrest on Sunday, WWE issued the following statement: “WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, and per our policy, Rich Swann has been indefinitely suspended following his arrest.”

We hope things can turn around for both of them.

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