WWE News: Company 'Releases' Title-Holder Enzo Amore After Being Accused of Rape
World Wrestling Entertainment recently confirmed that it has decided to release Enzo Amore shortly after the wrestler was accused of rape.
Amore -- whose name is Eric Arndt in real life -- held the Cruiserweight Championship belt before being fired by WWE.
WWE initially announced that it had suspended Amore and added that the entertainment company "has zero tolerance for matters involving sexual harassment or sexual assault." The announcement of Amore's release came on Jan. 23.
A woman -- who was identified by the wrestler's lawyers as Philomena Sheahan -- accused Amore of rape in her Twitter post on Monday, saying: "OKAY..it's been long enough & I have been so so scared to share this. I was raped in mid October by the WWE Enzo Amore (also known as Eric Arden)." She added that she spent 45 days in a mental institution following the alleged rape incident.
In the same Twitter post, the victim shared a screenshot of her conversation with Tyler Grosso, who she also accused of being one of Amore's "accomplices," dated Oct. 19, 2017 -- the same day that the alleged rape happened, according to a local report (via ABC15) as told by the Phoenix police.
ABC15 added that the case was now under investigation but the police had also confirmed that they were called on Oct. 23. 2017 to respond to a report of sexual assault that happened days earlier at the Clarendon Hotel and Spa.
In an interview with TMZ, Sheahan narrated that she had met Amore in the said hotel who later on manifested his interest in the victim. She added that she "said 'no' countless times" but was reportedly ignored by the accused.
Meanwhile, Amore responded to the allegations by posting a copy of his lawyers' statement through his official Twitter page where he "fully and unequivocally" denied Sheahan's rape claims. His legal counsel also confirmed that the wrestler was "cooperating with authorities."