Trans pro wrestler claims he has been left ‘disabled’ after botched match

A trans pro wrestler left “physically disabled” after sustaining an injury has accused event organisers of failing to safeguard competitors.

Oregon pro-wrestler Daniel Lopez said he has been left with little support and “medical bills piling up” after sustaining a knee injury that has left him unable to walk.

The trans man, who works as a special educational needs teacher for minority students, participated in the T-Boy Wrestling event, hosting by the social group Trans Dudes of LA, on 10 October in the hopes of “making fun memories.”

However, he was left “screaming for help” after his opponent allegedly botched a scoop slam that left him curled on the ground in pain.

“During the second round, I realised my opponent was being extremely rough, and I was caught off guard when, out of nowhere, my opponent grabbed my neck and threw me to the side,” Lopez alleged. “I remember hearing the loud clear pop and crunch of my knee, seeing my leg bent sideways and outwards and my tibia out of its socket.”

Lopez said he was unable to move his toes or bend his knee, and was “fighting so hard not to vomit from the pain and black out.”

He accused organisers of failing to take the injury seriously, saying that he had to call to the referee several times before an ambulance was called.

“The MC proceeded to announce my opponent as ‘undefeated champion’ and celebrate them while I was on the ground curled up in pain screaming for help,” Lopez said.

Lopez was eventually taken to a local emergency room. While waiting for care, he claimed the opponent had messaged him “not to apologise, but to have me comfort him about breaking my leg.”

He accused T-Boy Wrestling organisers of failing to offer “any form of support” and dismissing what Lopez said were significant safeguarding failures.

“This kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable and needs to be corrected,” He wrote. “If Trans Dudes LA was legitimate about wanting to fix all their wrongdoing, they would recognise the malpractice that took place and be communicating with me with empathy and accountability.”

Lopez says the weeks since the incident have been “torture,” adding he has been unable to shower independently, relying on crutches, and unable to sleep over the pain.

After weeks worth of doctor’s appointments, he said he might need to undergo knee surgery which would exacerbate the medical debt that he said is already “piling up.”

“[I was] left physically disabled with medical bills piling up and having no choice but to take time off work and use all of my [paid time off] on recovery, which I’ve now run out of,” he said.

“Any time off is eating into my pay checks, and I’m realising the road to recovery is going to be long and overwhelmingly expensive.”

The educator has published a GoFundMe to pay his medical debt, as well as afford food and supplies. It has raised over $6300 from 184 donors at the time of reporting.

PinkNews has contacted Trans Dudes of LA for comment.