7 Wrestling World Champions Who Were Fired

1. David Starr

Accusations of severe sexual assault led to David Starr becoming the first name to be exposed through the ongoing #SpeakingOut movement, and good riddance. The allegations levied against him are vile, horrifying, brutal, and backed by piles of evidence. Starr's dismal responses to the situation only compounded it and he has since gone off the grid.

The aftermath saw a number of promotions sever their ties with Starr, who was considered one of the independent scene's standout wrestlers. RevPro, TNT Extreme, and PROGRESS were amongst their number, with the first two stripping him of gold. Ireland's OTT made the biggest move, however, sacking Starr while he was technically still their World Champion. The belt has now been vacated.

Starr operated primarily in the United Kingdom, having moved there from his native USA because of the scene's stronger career opportunities, and was known as a champion of workers rights through his attempts at unionising the business. He has also been booted from the We The Independent group he had helped form to support and empower indie wrestlers in a challenging labour market.

"If this is the end of wrestling for me, that’s ok," Starr tweeted before deleting his account. It probably is.