Enzo Amore’s WWE career collapsed overnight when sexual assault allegations surfaced. But what really happened behind the scenes?
The Cruiserweight was let go just hours before he was due to have a starring role at Raw 25, leaving the promotion to scramble to rewrite the show on the night.
This meant Enzo Amore lost his job, his title and the respect of the wrestling fans, all while a sexual assault case hung over his head.
An ill-thought-out rap song addressing the allegations brought nobody onto his side, yet the charges were eventually dropped.
But what is the truth behind these allegations? Were they made up to frame Amore or did he get off scot-free?
Here are Verify Wrestling, we uncover the truth behind these allegations and go into what really happened, to the best of our knowledge, surrounding Amore’s WWE exit.
Read More: For fans who want to learn more about the real Vince McMahon, check out Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America, an in-depth look on his childhood, early career and the man behind WWE’s most controversial moments.
WWE fired Enzo Amore after learning about his sexual assault allegations
Just hours before the 25th anniversary of Raw was due to broadcast, Enzo Amore was suspended by WWE and taken off the show.
According to Amore in conversation on The Steve Austin Show, he was rehearsing for the poker segment on January 22, 2018 with JBL and Farooq when his phone started blowing up about the allegations of rape.
Philomena Sheahan posted on Twitter, alleging that he had raped her. NBCWashington reported that the woman in question “shared a graphic account on Twitter, saying she was plied with drugs and left alone with the wrestler by his friend”.
She wrote in the now-deleted post: “Okay, it’s been long enough and I have been so so scared to share this. I was raped in mid-October by the WWE Enzo Amore & Taylor Grosso and TooPoor let it happen as accomplices. I was in a mental hospital for 45 days after it. They ARE NOT good people.”
The alleged rape was said to have taken place on October 19 at the Clarendon Hotel and Spa in Phoenix. She went into more detail in conversation with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp.
As soon as Amore found out, he claims he rang his lawyer to investigate before turning to WWE’s then-head of talent relations, Mark Carrano. His lack of knowledge was backed up his attorney, Tom Cargill.
Carrano immediately suspended Amore and sent him home, changing all the plans for Raw 25. He was supposed to be a key part of the show, even losing his Cruiserweight title belt in a poker came.
They sent out a clear message with his suspension, posting, “WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving sexual harassment or sexual assault. Until this matter is resolved, Eric Arndt (aka Enzo Amore) has been suspended.”
Enzo Amore immediately drove to his sister’s house, where the next day he was officially fired by the WWE. They put out a bare statement on WWE.com announcing his release on January 23, 2018, offering no details about the termination.
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (January 29, 2018 edition) that the decision to fire him was already made that day, and that the reason was he admitted being aware of the police investigation
Enzo Amore heard about the rape claims a month before his firing
While he did not know he was being investigated for rape, Enzo Amore did know there was a rape claim against him as earlier as December.
His friend received an unspecified email regarding the accusation “around Christmas” detailing the allegations, which he put to the side and did not report to the WWE.
WWE did not detail why he was released, but it has been rumoured that his failing to inform them about potential legal action was the cause.
However, as we mentioned, Amore’s lawyer contacted the police and was informed that he was not under investigation for any rape charges on the day of Raw 25.
While Amore claims he did not know about the investigation, a spokesperson from the Arizona Police Dept. confirmed that a police report was filed by the Phoenix Police Dept. on October 23, 2017.
Despite it beginning in October, the full police report was released in July the following year, explaining that Enzo Amore was not made aware of the investigation until January, as the police were unable to contact Sheahan and the investigation was put on hold.
As soon as he was made aware, Amore provided a DNA swab but declined to be interviewed by the police. He did not deny having sexual relations with the woman, but claimed it was entirely consensual.
Charges were later dropped and Enzo Amore was never convicted of rape
Despite losing his job and his career as a top-level wrestler, Enzo Amore was never convicted of any sexual assault.
The former WWE star had his charges dropped in May of 2018, with a representative for the Phoenix Police Department stated, “The case has been investigated to its fullest extent, while working with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office”.
They added, “The case has been closed. This would not preclude the case from reopening, should new evidence come to light.”
Sheahan’s testimony was increasingly unreliable, with her story changing over time, reducing her credibility.
Meltzer reported that one of the key pieces of conflicting evidence was texts that “Shaheen had made to a friend which became public, where she was bragging about being in bed that night with a famous wrestler with no mention of it not being consensual.” (Wrestling Observer Newsletter, May 21, 2018).
Less than two weeks after the case had been dropped, Amore made the controversial decision to release a diss track, of sorts, on the woman who accused him of sexual assault.
Titled “Phoenix”, the song referenced both where the encounter took place and Amore’s attempt to “rise like a phoenix” and come out stronger from the ordeal.
However, he also used the term “consensual penis”, which garnered a lot of criticism by numerous people online as a crass way to describe his sexual relations with his accuser.
“From the ashes like a phoenix, middle finger to the sky, gripping my consensual penis. Lying as hoe out in Phoenix…”
Other lines spoke about him being “guilty until proven innocent, which showed Amore’s feelings on losing his job before the case had even gone to trial.
Despite never tasting any jail time, Amore has yet to return to WWE nearly 8 years later. His sole appearance was at Survivor Series 2018, where he bought a ticket and snuck into the venue.
The former WWE star stood on his seat during a bout between The Bar and AOP, reciting his famous catchphrases before being tackled to the ground and escorted out of the arena.
Outside of select appearances on Ring of Honor, where Enzo and Big Cass “shoot” invaded the company to the annoyance of everyone in the match, and a reunion on the Jericho Cruise, his wrestling career has never come close to Enzo Amore’s WWE run before its controversial ending.
Whether the sexual assault claim was fake or not is undetermined. While some evidence points towards that (as mentioned), Sheahan was never found guilty in a court of law.
We cannot definitively say that Sheahan made up a false claim about Enzo Amore sexually assaulting her, but the evidence available to us leads us to the conclusion that the incident as she described it did not happen.
