GCW Wrestlers Respond to Claims the Promotion Faked Negative COVID-19 Tests

Multiple wrestlers from GCW have denied the allegation that the company faked negative COVID-19 tests to allow sick wrestlers to appear.

Earlier this week, independent wrestler “Dirty” Ron McDonald claimed that he faked COVID-19 testing results so GCW could run events from October 2020 to January 2021.

On Twitter, Tony Deppen denied the claim, saying that talent was given specific deadlines for when they had to submit test results.

Deppen adds that he was forced to miss two shows due to not submitting a result in time, which reportedly came at the request of Brett Lauderdale.

This matches with a tweet from January 2021, where GCW announced that Deppen would miss an event in adherence to COVID-19 protocols and “an abundance of caution.”

Joey Janela responded to McDonald’s claim by sharing screenshots of the group chat Deppen mentioned and said everyone working for GCW is vaccinated.

“We always had groups like this on social media apps, many wrestlers have been told to sit out before… Roster is vaccinated now, see everyone in Vegas. Most will ignore this because they ‘Wanna smoke that GCW PACK’ whatever the f*ck that means.”

Brett Lauderdale has been advised by lawyers not to respond to McDonald’s claims.

GCW will host their Downward Spiral event this Sunday, which will be headlined by NWA World Heavyweight Champion Matt Cardona Vs. Blake Christian.

Thanks to 411Mania for the transcription.

Thomas Lowson
Thomas Lowson is a content writer operating from the north of England. A fan of over 20 years, Thomas has been writing professionally since 2018 and has a degree in Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University. In 2023, Thomas was part of the press crew that covered AEW All In: London, the largest wrestling event to date in the United Kingdom. When not writing, he enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends.
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