Will a Wrestler Have to Die Before Changes are Made?
Examining wrestling’s stalking problem is more important than ever after Alexa Bliss’ recent report that she is being harassed. Wrestling’s stalking problem is back in the headlines as WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss recently informed fans that a so-called fan threatened to shoot her and her husband Ryan Cabrera (for more details, check out WrestleLamia’s article on the story).
As chilling as this story is, it’s just the latest in a string of stalkers doing everything from harassing wrestlers online to invading their homes. What can be done to stop this and will it take a wrestler dying before things change? WrestleLamia will examine wrestling’s stalking problem, identifying the types of stalking and reviewing three incidents involving stalking behavior.
Note: The problem of stalking affects people from all walks of life but the purpose of this article is to examine wrestling’s stalking problem. If you are being stalked, contact your local law enforcement agency. Depending on your location, there may be a victim advocacy service and/or domestic violence shelter that can provide further assistance.
The Problems with Defining Stalking
While most people have an idea of what constitutes stalking, defining it legally can be problematic, especially in the United States where stalking laws vary from state to state. According to the Victim Connect Center:
Stalking is a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. Unlike other crimes that involve a single incident, stalking is a pattern of behavior. It is often made up of individual acts that could, by themselves, seem harmless or noncriminal, but when taken in the context of a stalking situation, could constitute criminal acts. Legal definitions of stalking differ depending on where you live; however stalking is a crime under the laws of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Territories, and the Federal government. Stalking is serious, often violent, and can escalate over time.
H/T Victim Connect
The rise of information technology and relatively affordable surveillance technology has expanded the scope of what was traditionally considered stalking. Here are some examples of what might constitute stalking:
Stalking is a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. Unlike other crimes that involve a single incident, stalking is a pattern of behavior. It is often made up of individual acts that could, by themselves, seem harmless or noncriminal, but when taken in the context of a stalking situation, could constitute criminal acts. Legal definitions of stalking differ depending on where you live; however stalking is a crime under the laws of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Territories, and the Federal government. Stalking is serious, often violent, and can escalate over time.
H/T Victim Connet
Types of Stalkers
Although the study is somewhat dated, a 1999 article in The American Journal of Psychiatry lists five categories of stalkers. As you can imagine, some of these categories may overlap.
Rejected stalkers: i.e. disgruntled lovers, a rejected friend, or someone terminated from employment.
Resentful stalkers i.e. someone with a vendetta against someone over a perceived slight.
Intimacy seekers i.e. someone obsessed with forming an intimate relationship with their target. This condition is sometimes accompanied by a mental health disorder.
Incompetent suitors: i.e. someone with bad relationship skills who is fixated on a person.
Predatory stalkers: i.e. someone gathering information on a target they plan to victimize.
In addition, there are also:
Cyberstalkers: The expansion of the Internet has led to more stalking as well as the use of information databases to gather information on targets.
Terrorist Stalkers: The use of stalking behaviors to intimidate people with political power in order to achieve various goals.
Sometimes people find it difficult for others (including law enforcement) to take their case seriously. Individuals being stalked can find it difficult to prove that a series of behaviors rises to the level of stalking, Finally, even when an arrest is made, there is no guarantee the perpetrator will be convicted. Even if convicted, sentences are typically light. Perhaps the most frustrating situation is where a perpetrator is convicted and sentenced, yet remains defiant, continuing the behavior.
One of the defects in the criminal justice system is its use of restraining orders (aka order of protection) to deter stalkers. Simply put, a restraining order is nothing more than a piece of paper. If a stalker chooses to ignore it, the order won’t protect anyone. While an individual with such an order can have the perpetrator arrested for violating it, there is no guarantee the person will be incarcerated.
Examining Wrestling’s Stalking Problem: Bret Hart’s Stalker
Like stalking itself, wrestling’s stalking problem likely dates back many decades but only recently has it been recognized as a serious problem. I would argue that part of this has to do with the increase in public awareness about stalking and the rise of social media. Activities that were once labeled as “creepy behavior” are now recognized as potential or actual stalking activity.
As mentioned, wrestlers have probably been dealing with stalking for a long time including male wrestlers. For example, Bret “The Hitman” Hart discussed his own personal experiences dealing with stalkers. During an episode of his Confessions of a Hitman podcast, Hart recalled:
Throughout my career, I had at least three, maybe four, very dangerous and serious stalkers. Females, all females, always situations where I made the mistake of being too nice, signing pictures. Being too nice brought out some kind of attachment that they couldn’t let go of.
H/T New York Post
“The Excellence of Execution” discussed one individual who stalked him over an extended period of time during his WCW run, leaving voice mails asking to meet him and eventually death threats. Hart was unsure who she was until he noticed a woman who seemed to follow him wherever he went, including airports. Hart spotted the woman in Detroit and the next day he saw her surveilling him at an airport in Buffalo. Finally, Hart had an airport official contact the police. After the police escorted Hart to his car, he received a disturbing phone call from the police:
Maybe about 10 minutes after I got to my room, they called me from the lobby and told me that the girl tried to attack the policeman [with a knife] who walked over, and they wanted me to come and fill out a statement in support of the policeman. I would never have to come back to court, which I didn’t have to. This would all be backup support evidence for the [officer]. So, they arrested her and took her to jail.”
H/T New York Post
Examining Wrestling’s Stalking Problem: The WWE Performance Center Stalker
The case involving the individual who allegedly stalked wrestlers at the WWE Performance Center shows how persistent stalkers can be and how frustrating it can be to deal with them. The individual is commonly known as “The WWE Performance Center Stalker.” (Note: There’s no need to give perpetrators any added publicity by naming them) has a long history of allegedly harassing individuals at the WWE’s Performance Center and trespassing on private property.
In 2015, the individual in question was shot outside the WWE Performance Center. Apparently looking for a chance to become a WWE Superstar, the person in question asked to be trained and pointed out he did not have a gun. When the police showed up, he reportedly grabbed some rocks and charged the officers, getting shot in the chest.
By 2018, the individual continued harassing WWE wrestlers and staff, this time via social media. Despite the WWE filing for restraining orders and asking for criminal charges, the stalker persisted. responded to a call In 2020, the stalker was up to his usual activities, this time allegedly trespassing on WWE property and allegedly harassing WWE Superstars. The stalker failed tp appear at a pre-trial hearing and ignored a court order to avoid all contact with WWE staff, this time mailing a letter to one of the WWE’s attorneys.
In May 2022, the stalker reportedly tried to get into a taping of IMPACT Wrestling and asked if he could be booked in a match. After repeated requests by security to leave, he exited the venue.
For many people, getting shot in the chest might serve as a wake-up call that it’s time to rethink their life. Unfortunately, the stalker in question is an example of how some stalkers cannot be deterred short of incarceration (and even then, they are known for sending harassing mail).
Examining Wrestling’s Stalking Problem: Sonya Deville’s Home Invasion
A more recent stalking incident occurred in 2020 when WWE Superstar Sonya Deville’s (aka Daria Berenato) home was burglarized by an alleged stalker. Deville and her fellow wrestler Mandy Rose were at Deville’s home when an individual broke into the home.
Deville’s home security system went off and she discovered an individual with a knife and pepper spray. A 18 August 2020 article at the Tampa Bay Times detailed the terrifying incident:
When WWE star Sonya Deville came face to face with a strange man on her back porch, she screamed at him. Deville, whose real name is Daria Berenato, wrote in a court petition seeking protection from the man “What are doing, what do you want?” Deville yelled as he stared at her from just four feet away. He then began to walk toward her.“That is when I realized this person was not here to rob me, he was there to hurt me,”
H/T Tampa Bay Times
After the police informed her of the suspect’s identity, she found he had been following her for some time.
Berenato typed his name into her Instagram account and found hundreds of messages from his account dating back to March 2019, according to the petition.
H/T Tampa Bay Times
Fast forward to April 2022 and the details of how the case was resolved remain murky. After being found unfit to stand trial:
A court document from earlier this week shows that both cases (Felony and Stalking) against…have been closed. As of this time, Sonya Deville hasn’t made comment on the situation…[The alleged perpetrator] had been transferred to the Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee, Florida. It is unknown if he is still committed at this time.
H/T Wrestling Inc.
Examining wrestling’s stalking problem reveals there are no easy answers to the problem. Are wrestlers too accessible and should they restrict the public’s access to them? Join us next time as we look at what options wrestlers may have to protect themselves.
What can be done to prevent or even reduce stalking? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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