AEW star Saraya has condemned the sexist treatment of women in professional wrestling after a 2025 study ranked her as the third most harassed talent online. Speaking on her Rulebreakers podcast, she expressed disbelief that women, including Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax, filled the top five positions on the list.
The study, conducted by Cryptomaniaks, revealed Flair as the most targeted individual with 36.4% of mentions classified as abuse. Jax followed at 35.3%, Mercedes Moné at 29.6%, Saraya at 29.3%, and Tegan Nox at 28.6%. The first male name, CM Punk, appeared at number six.
Saraya criticized the list’s very existence, arguing that it only fuels further harassment. “Yeah. So again, this whole thing came out recently of like who gets the most hate in the wrestling business. I end up being number three on there. It ended up being—uh—Charlotte… who was the second one? I can’t remember. But it was all the women in the top five, which I thought was f–ked up, and I was third on it. I hated that list. I hate that that list even existed. Yeah. I was just like—but it kind of opened doors for people to continue to do it, you know what I mean? I was like, we need to rethink the way people treat women in this business. Absolutely. Because why the f–k is the top five women? Why? What’s… like why? That shows a lot. It shows a lot.”
She explained that constant scrutiny and online abuse contributed to her decision to take a break from wrestling this year, highlighting how women are relentlessly judged for their physical appearance and personal choices. “Like at this point in 2025, we are still getting f–king s–t on just for being a f–king female. We lose weight, we gain… we f–king gain weight. Like any kind of different—like we are so under the microscope and it’s so fed up. That’s kind of a reason why I took a step back from it this year, because I’m just like… I’m done with these motherf–kers.”
Beyond the podcast, Saraya addressed the issue on X, writing that the “IWC needs to reevaluate how it treats women in wrestling.” Past harassment against her has reportedly included aggressive social media attacks, stalking, and explicit messages.
The discussion has expanded across the industry. Charlotte Flair has also recently spoken about the toll public pressure takes on her mental health, particularly concerning her appearance and career.