The
WWE's Darren Young has disclosed that he is gay, and he did so in pretty much
the best way possible: a no-big-deal disclosure to a TMZ reporter while at
an airport baggage carousel:
When asked whether a gay wrestler could
survive in the WWE, Young laughed, and replied,
"Absolutely.
Look at me. I'm a WWE superstar and to be
honest with you, I'll tell you right now, I'm gay. And I'm happy. I'm very
happy."
This being
wrestling, of course, there's always the possibility that this is a stunt. But
if it is true, the matter-of-fact way that Young delivered his revelation is a
definite sign of progress. And, yes, TMZ did "get" Young to
"admit" this on camera as a bit of entrapment, but credit Young for
sidestepping the gotcha attempt and taking control of his own story.
Young's star is
rising in WWE, and it'll be interesting to see whether this revelation does
anything to alter that trajectory. Here's Young dealing out some punishment to
CM Punk just a few weeks ago at a June
RAW event:
John Cena had praise for Young's decision. "Oh,
wonderful," he said when told of the news.
"Good for him. That's fantastic ... I know Darren personally. Darren's a
great guy. That's a very bold move for him. And congratulations for him for
actually finally doing it." Cena,
whose older brother is gay, added that he expected this wouldn't have any
effect on his work.
"It's all about being professional, and Darren Young is a consummate professional," Cena
said. "For us, it's entertainment, and if you're entertaining you
shouldn't be judged by race, creed, color or sexuality ... as long as you're
entertaining."
Of note: at this
writing, Young's Twitter description reads, "As comfortable in the VIP
section as he is in the ring, Darren Young’s life revolves around three things
— money, women and wrestling." We'll have to see if that changes any time
soon.