Wrestler and self-described ‘himbo’ Max Zero comes out as pansexual
Independent pro wrestler Max Zero has come out as pansexual in an emotional post on Twitter. (Instagram/@zeroatwork)
Independent pro wrestler and self-described “himbo” Max Zero has come out as pansexual in an adorable post on social media.
Zero debuted in 2019 as the masked ZERO – a masked (duh) powerhouse wrestler based on the east coast of the US. Two years later, he unmasked himself and became a handsome himbo causing countless fans to swoon.
He makes regular appearances on Wrestler’s Laboratory, Invictus Pro, Paradigm Pro Wrestling and Industrial World Wrestling, according to OutSports.
Zero took a flying leap as he came out publicly via an emotional tweet celebrating Pansexual Visibility Day on 24 May. He told fans that he’s done “a lot in my life”, but said that sharing his truth with the world was the “scariest” decision he’s ever made.
“I was gonna make like a fun himbo thing out of this but I just can’t emotionally bring myself to do it … I’m pan,” he wrote. “Love y’all.”
I've done alot in my life, this is the scariest.
I was gonna make like a fun himbo thing out of this but I just can't, emotionally bring myself to do it.
So ima leave this here and maybe mute the post idk.
Im Pan.
Love y'all #PanVisibilityDay pic.twitter.com/plcCbsoGlu
— Naughty Max Zero (@HandsomeMaxZERO) May 24, 2022
One fan thanked Max Zero for his “bravery” in coming out and said such visibility would help “queer kids and fans all over the world”.
Fellow pro wrestlers Riley Shepard – the “Gladiator of the Geeks” – and Greywolf Raventhorne sent Zero messages of support. Even Wrestler’s Lab congratulated the himbo wrestler for feeling comfortable to come out to the world.
Welcome to the Pan Club!! You are loved, Himbo friend! ?
— Riley Shepard, The Gladiator of the Geeks⚔? (@TheRileyShepard) May 24, 2022
This takes a huge amount of courage brother. You know that @TrueWarWulf and I are always behind you!
Respect ?— Greywolf Raventhorne, Scourge of Mortals (@TLW_Greywolf) May 24, 2022
A big congrats to @HandsomeMaxZERO on his coming out as pansexual. 💖💛💙 We're still mad about what you did to @BigGameLeroy though.— T H E 🧪 L A B (@WrestlersLab) May 26, 2022
Zero shared in a later tweet that he was overwhelmed by “all the love and acceptance” that he’s received since coming out, adding: “This himbo is truly blessed.”
“Like 600 people give a s**t about me being happy with me,” he wrote. “Damn.”
The hunky wrestler even changed his username on the social media platform to “Pandsome Max Zero”.
Max Zero now joins a growing number of openly LGBTQ+ athletes taking the wrestling world by storm.
Iconic wrestling star Pat Patterson was the industry’s “first gay superstar”, and the US government reportedly tried multiple times to deport him in the 1960s over suspicion he was gay.
The late WWE Hall of Fame member’s career spanned six decades, and he came out publicly to his peers during an emotional discussion on the reality TV show Legends’ House in 2014.
It wasn’t until 2015 that the WWE saw its first-ever active, out LGBTQ+ star after Sonya Deville came out on the reality show Tough Enough. She’s strongly spoken out in support of the queer community and advocated for more authentic LGBTQ+ representation in the sports entertainment industry.
A recent WWE storyline saw Sonya Deville rejoin the roster of superstars after she was sacked as an official for ‘abusing her power’. (Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic)
WWE official Adam Pearce announced in May that Deville had been “terminated” from her position as an official on the show, which was part of a WWE storyline investigation that saw Deville rejoin the roster of superstars.
Pearce said that “upper management” found that Deville “recklessly and unprofessionally abused your power”. A week later, Pearce revealed to fans that Deville was “fined” for her “misbehaviour” and for “putting her hands on our referee” after losing a match to Alexa Bliss.
Several other wrestling stars have also come out as part of the LGBTQ+ community publicly in recent years including Tegan Nox, Gabbi Tuft, O’Shay Edwards, Toni Storm, Mercedes Martinez and Shayna Baszler.
AEW star Anthony Bowens has talked openly about experiencing vile homophobia both inside and outside the wrestling arena. Nyla Rose, a trans superstar who is also signed with AEW, laid the smackdown after a member of the wrestling audience displayed a transphobic sign as she entered the ring for a December match.
Jake Atlas – who was the first openly gay, active wrestler signed to the WWE – came out of retirement in January after he joined AEW. He had stepped back from the wrestling world four months earlier after he revealed that he was struggling with his mental health.
