LGBTQ-focused pro wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Vibe has named three inductees for the 2022 class of Paris Honors, LGBTQ pro wrestling’s hall of fame equivalent. The 2022 inductees: pro wrestlers Dark Sheik and Eddy McQueen and ring announcer/host Larry Legend.
Widely recognized as a trans pro wrestling icon, Dark Sheik earns her flowers after 22 years in the ring, 12 of which have been spent leading the Oakland-based counter-culture wrestling phenomenon Hoodslam.
The company proved heavily influential to the whole of independent pro wrestling since its 2010 origin. Similarly, Dark Sheik has become an inspirational figure for LGBTQ and trans wrestlers and fans alike.
Her profile has grown even larger thanks to prominent matches in Game Changer Wrestling and will debut for Pro Wrestling Vibe at Pride and Vibe Weekend.
“Wrestling has helped me with so much in my life and I feel the deepest happiness for the feeling that I may have helped back,” Dark Sheik said. “Thank you Pro Wrestling Vibe for blessing me with such high praise.”
Eddy McQueen remains a trailblazer for New York’s LGBTQ pro wrestling community after a decade-plus in the ring.
The queen of looks and champion of divas, McQueen carved his own path and created spaces for LGBTQ pro wrestlers to flourish throughout the Empire State and New England. As the mother of House McQueen, he continues that path in Pro Wrestling Vibe.
Each of these people have direct influences on the scene as it is today and I'm so glad we can celebrate them. Join us! 💖 https://t.co/qJTh015qSM
— Billy Dixon (@TheBillyDixon) February 2, 2022
“In an industry that has always made me feel not enough this is all a trailblazing gay wrestler could want,” McQueen said. “Thank you Pro Wrestling Vibe for always recognizing the sacrifices I’ve made to create a better place in wrestling for people like me.”
Larry Legend is one of the most prolific voices in independent pro wrestling, lending his skills to countless promotions across the East coast. From ICW No Holds Barred to Maryland Championship Wrestling, Legend is a fixture. He also hosts IWTV’s “The Masked Wrestler” and brings his ballroom experience to Paris Is Bumping for the first time in 2022.
“What an honor it will be to receive such an accolade alongside two of thee brightest shining stars in the stratosphere today,” Legend said.
Legend, McQueen and Dark Sheik will be inducted during a ceremony at Paris Is Bumping: The Legends Ball on June 18 during Pro Wrestling Vibe’s Pride and Vibe Weekend festival in Ridgefield Park, N.J. They join pro wrestlers Mariah Moreno and Faye Jackson and journalist Casey Michael, last year’s inaugural Paris Honors inductees.
