Val Venis is going after another LGBTQ wrestler, and this time his target is WWE Evolve Champion Aaron Rourke.
Rourke has been having a strong run as WWE Evolve Champion and most recently retained his title against Tristan Angels on NXT. He is also proudly part of the LGBTQ community, which apparently was enough for Venis to turn WWE’s Pride representation into his latest online target.
Val Venis took to Twitter and claimed WWE could lose money if the company starts catering to LGBTQ fans and Pride-related visibility, as he also said rational people are tired of this “propaganda.” He included a photo of Rourke to make it clear he was targeting him.
“𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧: This PRIDE CRAP will cost WWE a lot in revenue if they decide to start catering to that crowd. PRIDE fatigue is very real. Rational folks are tired of this propaganda.”
This is not exactly new territory for Venis. Back in 2024, he repeatedly targeted Nyla Rose online and accused her of “pretending” to be a woman, which drew backlash from fans who felt he was taking things far beyond wrestling criticism. Rose has dealt with years of disrespect because she is transgender, but she has continued to push forward in her wrestling career without letting those attacks define her.
Now Venis has shifted that same energy toward Rourke, who is currently being featured as a champion under the WWE umbrella. That makes the timing pretty obvious, because Rourke just retained his title and continues to gain visibility while being open about who he is.
At the end of the day, Val Venis can post whatever he wants, but Aaron Rourke’s momentum has not stopped. The WWE Evolve Champion is still standing tall after another title defense, and this controversy only puts more attention on his run.
What do you think about Val Venis’ comments on Aaron Rourke and WWE Pride representation? Should WWE ignore the backlash or address it directly? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.