Nick Kiniski says he was propositioned by WWE employee in the 1980s
Another former WWE wrestler has alleged he was propositioned by a company official in the 1980s.
Nick Kiniski, the son of WON Hall of Famer Gene Kiniski, wrestled with WWF from 1986 to 1987. He appeared on an episode of Pollock and Thurston recently and said he was forced to deal with unwanted advances from WWF employee Terry Garvin during that time.
Kiniski said:
He would come up to me and hit on me … I won’t say what he said, but you’ll understand the meaning behind it. He says ‘Hey Nick, let me perform oral sex on you, you can read a Playboy and you’ll have it made for life.’ And, you know, he is my boss, he controls my boss. This is my livelihood, what I want to do, I kind of joked with him, I said ‘Hey Terry, you know, I’m not that way. But if I ever change, you’ll be the first. I’ll let you be the first.’ We just kinda laughed it off. But he was always kind of coming up and joking, and one time he came to my hotel room late at night and I told him to leave. Knocked at the door. So, it put me in a very awkward position, you know?
Kiniski said he informed Vince McMahon of the situation.
I remember where it was, it was in Milwaukie, Oregon, we wrestled in Portland. I called Vince, and I said ‘Hey, Vince, I don’t think this is right. Terry’s hitting on me. I don’t appreciate that and I would like it to stop.’ And Vince said ‘Oh, ok. I’ll deal with it.’ And that was it.
He continued:
Nothing changed. [Garvin would] still say ‘Hey, have you thought about your proposition?’ as he walks by in the dressing room.
Kiniski then recalled being taken off a Friday night show, and therefore not being paid, and approaching McMahon about it.
I talked to Vince, I said ‘This isn’t right, Vince. I complain, and now you guys are punishing me. I’ll finish my bookings, but I’m not putting any guys over. Put me in the ring we’ll see what happens.’ Vince knows I could take care of myself, so he said ‘No.’ I said, ‘I’m done.’ I said,‘I’ll finish my matches,’ ‘Nope, you’re done now.’ ‘Thank you very much.’
Greg Oliver of Slam Wrestling also noted in an article published on Monday that Kiniski confided in him about Garvin’s unwanted advances in an interview from 2006.
Garvin resigned from his position with WWE in 1992 along with ring announcer Mel Phillips and Pat Patterson in the wake of the Ring Boy Scandal. Patterson returned shortly after a company investigation cleared him of wrongdoing but Garvin and Phillips did not.
Dave Meltzer addressed the situation in the December 7, 2020 edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, writing “The ringboy stuff had no connection with Patterson as far as anyone could tell, only Garvin and Phillips, who never returned.”
Barry Orton, brother of Bob Orton Jr. and Uncle of Randy Orton, accused Garvin of sexually assaulting him in 1978. Orton would later say he was blackballed after speaking out about it.
Meltzer also covered Garvin and the Ring Boy Scandal in the August 31, 1998 edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, available in our archives for subscribers.
Meltzer wrote:
The death of long-time wrestling personality Terry Joyal (Terry Garvin) on 8/17, believed to be at the age of 60 and reportedly from stomach cancer, brings to the forefront one of the biggest stories in modern wrestling, the 1992 Titan Sports sex scandal which was one of the major reasons for the WWF and pro wrestling in general in the United States going into a three-and-a-half year business tailspin.
