Jai Vidal becomes first openly gay man to sign Impact Wrestling contract

Jai Vidal has become the first openly gay man to sign a contract with Impact Wrestling.

Vidal revealed the news during a podcast appearance on OutSports’ LGBT In The Ring, saying he signed a multi-year deal with the company and learning about how he made company history on the morning the podcast was recorded.

“It’s knocking down barriers and everything that I have always wanted to do for my community in professional wrestling. I talk about this a lot, but growing up, I had nobody to look up to when it came to representation,” he said. “To know that maybe one day down the line somebody will see me on TV and will be inspired by me being openly gay, it will inspire them to chase whatever goals and dreams they have as an open person in the LGBTQ community.”

The 25-year-old debuted for Impact in October 2021, losing to Eric Young and JONAH in a pair of TV matches. In recent weeks, he has re-emerged as the content creator and personal stylist for Gisele Shaw. While he has been on screen with Shaw, he has yet to get back into the ring for Impact.

Shaw is also a trailblazer for the company, coming out as transgender this past June.

Vidal works regularly on the indies, appearing for GCW, Florida’s CCW, Las Vegas’ Future Stars of Wrestling and PCW, where he is their Ultralight Champion.