#MeToo scandal in wrestling, Amale Dib denounces Tristan Archer

03 September 2024 / Thibaud Vézirian

This is a new case of violence and aggression that is shaking the French wrestling world. And it is chilling. Former WWE wrestler Amale Dib ("French Hope") is spilling the beans about harassment and violence against her. She is specifically targeting Amiens native Tristan Archer, with supporting evidence.

A long, poignant letter that leaves you speechless. In French and English. Amale Dib couldn't keep it all to herself any longer. The French wrestler, who worked for the legendary WWE, alerted the authorities several years after the events.

The 31-year-old speaks of " misogyny, threats, harassment, racism, intimidation, homophobia… » A terrible dive behind the scenes of French wrestling.

While this sport-spectacle is partly scripted, everything that is told here is indeed a real testimony. Unfortunately.

It is the 38-year-old wrestler, Tristan Archer, real name Clément Petiot, who is targeted by Amale for these extremely serious acts.

Amale begins by explaining that “ too many things have remained in the shadows, drowned in uncertainty, the absence of testimonies, and also the blind protection of workers who are poorly informed or choose to turn a blind eye. I want to swear that I will only speak from my experience. These facts go beyond the direct short-term interests of French wrestling and must serve to clean up this environment even if it means bringing down its figureheads. »

She adds : " I speak, cornered by anxiety, pressure, anger and also fear. I know that my testimony will be heard and that things can finally change.« 

Amale goes into detail very quickly: “ I was the victim of the extremely abusive and uninhibited behavior of the French wrestler TRISTAN ARCHER.« 

Continuing: “ My only mistake was to remain silent all this time. I did not express myself out of shame, out of fear of not being heard, out of fear of reprisals, but I act today having accepted that all the players in this environment will resolutely stand behind what is right (…) This story goes far beyond wrestling and is about justice., morality and human conscience.« 

Amale Dib hopes " that (his) testimony will help to free the last languages ​​that have remained bound by fear or manipulated by this man. »

The rest of his letter recounts terrible moments.

« Tristan and I had a past relationship. It was marked by physical, psychological and emotional abuse. He humiliated me, belittled me, cheated on me, made me lose confidence in myself, forced me to stop my studies, threatened me, threatened my family. He threatened to reveal intimate photos to my family if I didn't obey him. When I had suicidal thoughts, he explained that he wanted me to do everything he asked before, and then I could die in peace. Since then, I have lived in constant fear that he would carry out his threats. This is just one example among many others.« 

She details memories of ultimate violence: “ He hit and pushed a close friend of mine onto the road when she tried to defend me and warn me about his unhealthy behavior. He then pinned me down so that the woman he was having an affair with could hit me, leaving marks on my face for months. I dissuaded my friend from filing a complaint at that time, blinded by his influence. He accumulated violent behavior towards me, towards other women, towards work colleagues, towards fans.« 

Another excerpt: “ I moved on when I was signed to WWE. Throughout this time, he was always nice to me, but he continued to send me messages to check on me, even though I hardly responded to him anymore (…) However, his behavior towards me has escalated recently, leading to harassment, threats, intimidation, racist and misogynistic remarks, defamation to my colleagues and wrestling promoters, as well as attempts to sabotage my career."

« I decided to stay away from him. I started hearing his slander, his obsession, his relentlessness towards me, his desire to keep me away from shows and to turn people against me, until one day it all came to a head on the way to a show when I stopped talking to him. I heard him say that his life was hard as a white man and that he never had any privilege, that life was easier for women of color. This brought me out of my silence, as I have really experienced discrimination because of my origins.« 

« He created a fake account to hide the fact that he had told his girlfriend at the time that he was no longer going to contact me, and blocked me from his main account. This account was used to stalk me, stalk my loved ones (several people found it in their stories) and to perpetuate harassment, unwanted persistent messages, and all his manipulation to make himself seem like the nice guy afterwards.« 

« He then found out I was in a relationship with someone. He stalked us, made insulting comments about me to my partner in the hopes of causing a breakup and sabotaging even my personal life. He made very violent, defamatory, misogynistic comments..« 

« The constant threats and intimidation from him have had a terrible impact on my mental and emotional health, leading me to seek professional help and organize my professional and personal life to avoid him at all costs. I have lost a lot of weight, as I did when I was under his influence (45 kg) and I go through daily severe episodes of anxiety, stress, eating disorders impacting all aspects of my life: my physical and mental health, my relationships, my activities. I see myself dying a slow death when all I wanted was to be left alone. (Photos to support this.) He dared to defame me even on my physical appearance by saying everywhere that if I had lost weight, it was because I was taking cocaine, while he is the only one responsible for my state. All this must stop, my life depends on it. »

The words and photo evidence seem to overwhelm Clément Petiot, alias Tristan Archer.

Tristan Archer portrayed as a " men harmful " to the highest degree. « Today, I am speaking out in public to try to make things happen, despite the fear of reprisals. In France more than anywhere else, I think it is more than important that these cases be publicized and revealed to the general public, who deserve to see the true face of their wrestlers and to protect women and future generations. I know that he will try to defame and discredit my speech as he always has. But this time, things will be different.« 

Amale Dib quickly received a lot of support on social networks. But also from former wrestlers. He also went through the WWE, well before Amale, Tom La Ruffa posted a video on his X account to show the young woman his total support.

While waiting for the legal proceedings to progress, Entrevue reminds us that Tristan Archer still benefits from the presumption of innocence.