There have been a number of wrestlers over the years who have gotten married in a wrestling ring, most notably Uncle Elmer (Stan Frazier) on NBC in the 80s and the iconic Hawaiian cultural moment involving Johnny Barend in Hawaii in the 60s.
But Joey Ryan of Lucha Underground, coming off pioneering using his penis as an offensive wrestling attacking move, may have done another first last night.
Ryan was wrestling Laura James in a singles match last night in San Diego, and in the middle of a match, after a ref bump, Ryan went to a bag for a presumed foreign object, but instead pulled out a ring and got on his knees and asked James to marry him. She said yes. They hugged, everyone clapped and cheered, and then Ryan surprised her again, with a small package to pin her. He explained on the mic after the match that they were married now and he needed “the winner’s half of the purse.” They are still getting married.
Congratulations to the happy couple.
Video of the proposal and the end of the match is here.