Former WWE NXT UK Talent Amale Accuses Tristan Archer Of Abuse
Tristan Archer accused of abuse by Amale
Sep 4, 2024
Amale, who performed on WWE NXT UK from 2020 until 2022, has accused her former partner Tristan Archer of "physical, psychological, and emotional abuse."
In a statement on social media, Amale wrote:
"I am writing with the conviction that you will listen to me with the utmost attention. Too many things have remained in the shadows, drowned in uncertainty, the absence of testimonies, and the blind protection of misinformed workers or those who choose to turn a blind eye. I swear that I will only speak about my own experience. These facts go beyond the immediate short-term interests of French wrestling and must be used to clean up this environment, even if it means bringing down its leading figures. I speak out now, cornered by anxiety, pressure, anger, and also fear. I know my testimony will be heard, and that things can finally change.
"I am including photos and testimonies of the physical and psychological consequences that I am still enduring today.
"I was the victim of extremely abusive and brazen behavior by the French wrestler TRISTAN ARCHER.
"My only fault was remaining silent all this time. I didn't speak out of shame, fear of not being heard, fear of retaliation, but today I act with the belief that everyone in this industry will stand firmly behind what is right. I also count on the unconditional support of the fans in this matter to cleanse this environment, but this story goes far beyond wrestling - it's a matter of justice, morality, and human conscience.
"It is crucial that you are aware of the impact this has had on me, on the wrestling work environment, and the consequences this behavior has had, can have, and will continue to have on this industry. These actions were observed by witnesses who have supported me, and I hope that my testimony will help free the remaining voices that are still tied down by fear or manipulated by this man.
"Tristan and I had a past relationship. It was marked by physical, psychological, and emotional abuse. He humiliated me, belittled me, cheated on me, destroyed my confidence, forced me to quit my studies, threatened me, and even threatened my family. He threatened to reveal intimate photos to my family if I did not obey him. When I had suicidal thoughts, he told me he wanted me to do everything he asked before, and that afterward, I could die in peace. Since then, I live in constant fear that he will carry out his threats. This is just one example among many.
"He hit and pushed a close friend of mine onto the road when she tried to defend me and warn me about his unhealthy behavior. He then restrained me so that the woman he was having an affair with could hit me, leaving marks on my face for several months. I dissuaded my friend from filing a complaint at that time, blinded by his influence. He has displayed violent behavior towards me, other women, colleagues, and fans.
"After some difficult times, everything settled down. He seemed to regret his actions, and I thought that people can change. But he never stopped contacting me. When I didn't respond to his messages, he would question me: 'Where were you, with whom, why didn't you respond sooner if you were alone, I know you have someone,' etc. And then he would become courteous again.
"I moved on when I signed with WWE. During this entire period, he was always kind to me, but he continued to send me messages asking for news, even though I hardly responded anymore. Until one day when I ran into him on a flight to NXTUK. I immediately behaved professionally with him. I helped him get settled, then distanced myself, and everything went smoothly. He begged me not to talk about him during the SPEAKING OUT movement. I was at peace and didn't want to cause him any harm. Despite his past actions, I chose not to speak before, during, or after the movement. However, his behavior towards me has recently escalated, leading to harassment, threats, intimidation, racist and misogynistic remarks, defamation among my colleagues and wrestling promoters, and attempts to sabotage my career.
"Indeed, after my departure from WWE, the first days were tough, but I felt supported by the French circuit. Everything went well at several shows with Tristan and others, the atmosphere was good. But he continued to watch me. He started to have increasingly intrusive behavior. I decided to stay away from him.
"I started hearing his defamations, his obsession, his relentless efforts to exclude me from shows and turn people against me, until one day everything erupted on the way to a show while I was no longer speaking to him. I heard him say that life was hard for him as a white man and that he never had any privileges, that life was easier for racialized women. This made me break my silence, having truly experienced discrimination because of my origins. But according to him, the only reason I signed was because I'm an Arab woman, because 'it sells more in the media', according to him and his white journalist friends. This was followed by an onslaught against me, my appearance, my ability to be in the ring, my family, etc. It was too mentally overwhelming for me, so I decided to drive myself to the shows or have someone else drive me to avoid ever having to endure such behavior again.
"He created a fake account (paulLepaul - pikapika080888 / Dblegends2105) used daily since late 2019 to hide the fact that he had told his then-girlfriend that he wouldn't contact me anymore, and he blocked me from his main account. This account was used to stalk me, stalk my loved ones (several people found him in their stories), and to perpetuate harassment, persistent unsolicited messages, and all his manipulation to make himself look like the good guy afterward.
"He then discovered that I was in a relationship with someone. He stalked us, made insulting remarks about me to my partner in hopes of causing a breakup and sabotaging even my private life. He made very violent, defamatory, misogynistic remarks. Even before this person, he acted the same way with anyone interested in me. His obsession only grew, even displaying this behavior in the locker rooms during wrestling events.
"He became very toxic again, spoke ill of me to promoters, caused me to lose bookings, harassed me, and intimidated me on the way to shows. I made sure to always be surrounded by a trusted person if I had to attend events where he was present.
"This behavior continued, both at events for various promotions (WXW, Wrestling Kult,...) and during private interactions, causing me enormous psychological pressure. He even threatened to kick me out of the wXw locker room, claiming he was in charge there. Several people witnessed the scene. I took steps to distance myself from Tristan and ensure my well-being, even if it meant making sacrifices, such as stepping away from the ring, arranging my own travel for various shows without requesting reimbursement. The promotions where these incidents occurred, as well as WWE, were informed of his actions. The latter, given the gravity of the facts and the testimonies, decided to exclude him from the WWE Backlash France extras as well as any future participation in WWE events. Other informed promotions have also taken or will take necessary steps to remove him to ensure the maintenance of a healthy work environment.
"His constant threats and intimidation have had a devastating impact on my mental and emotional health, leading me to seek professional help and to organize my professional and personal life to avoid him at all costs. I've lost a lot of weight, just like when I was under his control (45 kg), and I am going through severe episodes of anxiety, stress, and eating disorders daily, impacting all aspects of my life: my physical health, mental health, relationships, and activities. I feel like I'm dying slowly when all I wanted was to be left alone. (Photos included.)
"He even dared to defame me by saying everywhere that the reason I lost weight was because I was taking cocaine when he is the only one responsible for my condition. This has to stop; my life depends on it. The defamation has gone as far as telling people that I was violent in the locker rooms with colleagues/ friends. They can refute his claims.
"Your support and understanding mean the world to me, and I hope that together, we can work toward a resolution that ensures the safety and well-being of everyone within the French wrestling community. This man is extremely toxic. The involvement and stance of all promotions are crucial to ensuring the healthiest environment possible.
"I have already initiated discussions with the press, workers, WWE, Wrestling Kult, wXw, and I hope to count on the support of all promoters, especially in France, fans, and anyone who can hear my voice to help me. I have already tried to discuss this internally within French wrestling, and it has always ended in failure. Today, I speak out publicly to try to make a change, despite the fear of retaliation. In France, more than elsewhere, I believe it is more important than ever that these matters are exposed and revealed to the public, who deserve to see the true face of their wrestlers and protect women and future generations. I know he will try to defame and discredit my words as he always has. But this time, things will be different.
"I was pressured to resolve this internally; I had the support of all foreign promotions, but in France, the charade continues. No one wants to act; people find excuses because it's Tristan Archer; if it had been someone else, there would have been no leniency. I trusted people in the industry who did not hesitate to put me in danger and report my testimony to Tristan, who has since been trying by all means to discredit me. Tristan can be very nice and friendly with people, helpful, kind, but that's just one side of his personality, which he reveals after every bad action to get forgiven. He is so skilled that people are willing to forgive him for anything, but not this time.
"I would like to emphasize that I have moved on. I have moved on with my life and put past mistakes behind me. He has not done the same. I gave him more chances than I can count. All I wanted was to be left alone. I never spoke ill of him, neither to his family, our mutual friends, nor in the locker rooms; I always let him live his life, which was never the case for him. I was forced to defend myself - I have to choose ME. It's hard, but I have to do it."
Since her release from WWE in 2022, Amale has continued to wrestle across Europe.
Tristan Archer is a featured talent on the European independent wrestling scene and he challenged EC3 for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship at a BZW show in Lille, France in July. He previously wrestled for WWE in the Cruiserweight Classic and for two matches in NXT UK.
BZW have cancelled their upcoming booking of Tristan Archer on September 28.
If you are worried that a friend, neighbour or loved one in the United Kingdom is a victim of domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline for free and confidential advice, 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247. In the United States, victims of domestic violence can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.