Professional wrestling finally has its first openly gay male world champion.
AC Mack defeated Alex Shelley for the IWTV Independent Wrestling World Championship at the Action/IWTV Southeast First event on Friday, January 21 to secure his place in history.
“For those of you who still don’t understand how big of a deal this is. We did the research. We found out that now AC Mack goes down in the history books,” Mack said while clutching the title. “Not just the indies, not just the major leagues, not Japan, not anything. All of pro wrestling has its first openly gay male world champion!”
The World's first openly gay male World Champion! @AC_Mack #SouthEastFirst pic.twitter.com/OCm10NSxa4
— ACTION Wrestling (@WrestleACTION1) January 22, 2022
The history-making victory was met with widespread praise throughout wrestling by many performers, fans, and media members alike.
Congrats to the World Champion @AC_Mack. You love to see it. 👏🏿
— F1ght Club Pro Wrestling (@PAWD_WC) January 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/theleemoriarty/status/1484744074980728835?s=20
This is an important moment in professional wrestling as the industry continues to struggle with diversity and inclusivity.
At 29-years of age, Mack reaches this point of success with five years of experience in the ring. His career includes matches in promotions such as GCW, Beyond, and A Matter of Pride Wrestling. Along the way he’s picked up title victories such as the PWA No Limits Champion, ACTION Champion and Anarchy Television Champion.
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