WWE wrestler Rich Swann is being held in Florida on charges of battery and false imprisonment following an alleged argument with his wife, Vannarah Riggs
Wrestler Rich Swann is being held without bail in a Florida jail after he was arrested and charged with battery and false imprisonment.
Former WWE cruiserweight champion Swann, 26, was arrested in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday night after arguing with his wife and fellow pro-wrestler Vannarah Riggs, 28, according to Gainesville Police.
The alleged incident began while the couple were arguing in a car, after Swann criticized Riggs’ wrestling performance at the 8 Seconds nightclub in downtown Gainesville earlier that evening, according to the police report obtained by Deadspin.
Police said that Riggs ‘was scared that their argument was going to escalate into physical violence’ and got out of the car, only to have Swann stop and exit the car to chase after her while yelling for her to get back inside the vehicle.
A witness said that when Riggs refused to return to the car, Swann put her in a headlock and dragged her back to the car. Once inside, the witness said, Riggs beat on the window and screamed for help.
A second witness told police that Swann was driving erratically. The witness saw Riggs jump out of the slowly-moving car and run away. Swann then got out of the car, while it was still moving, to follow her.
Riggs is said to have jumped out of Swann’s car twice, fearing that their argument would turn physical. Swann said he did not touch Riggs. He was suspended indefinitely by the WWE after his arrest because the organization has a zero tolerance policy regarding domestic abuse
Witnesses told police that they saw Swann chase Riggs, a pro-wrestler who goes by the name of Su Yung (in character on right), and put her into a headlock to drag her back inside the car
When questioned by police, Swann denied having touched Riggs and said that she had gotten back into the car herself, according to the report.
Swann also said that the reason he had chased after Riggs was that he was trying to get home and needed to use the GPS function on her phone.
The WWE issued a statement on Sunday stating that Swann had been suspended indefinitely after the arrest, in keeping with the wrestling organization’s ‘zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence.’
Swann and Riggs married nine months ago and had been in a relationship for five years before that, according to police.
Swann is due to appear in court Monday.