By Brian C. Bell

Sunday’s “Great Midwestern Trendkill” event wasn’t the first time out gay
pro wrestler AC Mack stepped into a Naptown All-Pro Wrestling ring, but
it will be his last.

Mack, the first out LGBTQ male world champion in pro wrestling history,
2022 QWI 200 No. 1-ranked wrestler and foundational piece of the
“Southeast First” pro wrestling surge, wrestled his partner, Rico
Gonzalez, in his final match on Sunday.

This final battle closes a seven-year chapter of Mack’s life in the ring;
one defined by claiming gold and breaking barriers. It’s hard to find a championship in Georgia and the greater Southeast U.S. that Mack hasn’t
held, from the title atop his wrestling school, the WWA4 Heavyweight
title, to his near-800-day ACTION championship reign that forced
audiences outside the South to pay attention.

But the intertwining of championships and breaking new ground for Mack
hit their peak just over a year ago. After winning the 2021 Scenic City Invitational tournament, he defeated Alex Shelley for the IWTV
Independent Wrestling World title in front of the ACTION Wrestling
faithful. Mack etched his name into pro wrestling history as the first
out LGBTQ male world champion ever.

He followed that by participating in the first world title match between
two out LGBTQ male pro wrestlers when he defended the title (dubbed
“Iris” by Mack) against wrestling cornerstone Ashton Starr.

Even as these new benchmarks were being constructed, though, Mack knew
that he was nearing his end. The grind, anxiety and imposter syndrome
took their toll, contributing to the decision, but not feeling like his
initial goal of reaching WWE was attainable anymore ultimately led him to decide to step away.

Yet as that WWE-or-bust goal faded ahead his final match, Mack’s true
legacy came into view, and it holds so much value to the evolving world
of pro wrestling. He is an out gay Black man in the South who thrived,
building human connections whose strength manifested in the emotional
response by the ACTION fanbase when he announced he was leaving in-ring competition last month.

Mack’s impact is seen every Thursday when viewers of WWA4’s weekly livestreams see the growing population of out LGBTQ wrestlers walking the
road that Mack helped pave. The moments after his world title win gave
all of pro wrestling one of its most heartfelt and iconic snapshots of
LGBTQ love when Mack and Gonzalez kissed in the middle of the ring.

read more at: https://www.outsports.com/2023/7/17/23796540/ac-mack-leaves-pro-wrestling- lgbtq-gay-world-champion-naptown-action-southeast-first

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