AEW has cut ties with a roster member following reports of a recent arrest. Fightful Select revealed that Bear Boulder (real name: Thomas Wansaw), a member of The Iron Savages, has been fired from the company after being arrested on January 14 for battery by strangulation.
Boulder last appeared on the January 16 episode of ROH, where he teamed with Serpentico and The Dark Order against LEEJ and Shane Taylor Promotions. While the match aired after his arrest, it had been pre-taped on January 11, three days before the incident.
Further details obtained by PWInsider indicate that Wansaw’s arrest actually took place on January 13 in Winter Garden, Florida, following a complaint from his fiancée.
According to Deputy Javier Rincon, Wansaw and his fiancée got into a heated argument that escalated into violence. The report states that Wansaw pushed her to the ground and pressed his foot against her throat until she lost consciousness. She later regained consciousness 5 to 10 minutes later and called 911.
The report also notes that Wansaw had been attending anger management classes, as this was not the first instance of violence in their relationship. Despite this, his fiancée did not want him jailed due to potential financial difficulties.
Both parties cooperated with authorities, and Wansaw was taken into custody at the Orange County Detention Facility after being read his Miranda Rights.
During a January 27 court hearing, the judge ordered “no hostile or violent contact” between Wansaw and his fiancée, per her request. The requirement for them to live separately was also lifted at her request.
Wansaw’s tag team partner Bear Bronson tweeted the following about this incident:
“I don’t know what to say. I’m sick to my stomach. I’ve been checking in with Rainy since I found out to make sure she’s ok, but I did not know the horrific details.
I’ve been on a city date with my wife for the past few hours & right now I just want to turn my phone off to be with her.”
