Jonathan Coyle and Eva Marie have been married since 2014. (Instagram)
Jonathan Coyle says that his wife, Eva Marie, was unjustly suspended by the WWE.
On Thursday, August 18th, World Wrestling Entertainment announced that superstar Eva Marie would be suspended for 30 days for violating the company’s wellness policy. This policy forbids entertainers from using recreational or performance enhancing drugs while employed with the WWE. The policy also requires them to receive frequent cardiovascular stress tests.
Hours after the news broke, her husband, Jonathan Coyle, took to Twitter to say that the suspension is unjust and that more information is to come. He has since deleted the tweet.
Many wrestling fans immediately expressed concern over this statement, speculating that Coyle’s comments would only spark an unnecessary feud with the WWE when Eva Marie could have simply taken the 30 day suspension without having it damage her career, as many other superstars have done. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter on Twitter said of Coyle’s comments, “This may not end well.”
Eva Marie later issued the following statement via Pro Wrestling Sheet:
I am disappointed that this suspension has occurred, yet understand and respect that WWE upholds their Wellness Policy to the letter and won’t compromise on its integrity. I violated policy by not turning in portions of required paperwork in the time frame WWE Medical deemed timely. I look forward to my return! Thank you for your support.
This is not the first time in 2016 a suspended superstar has taken issue with the WWE’s wellness policy. Earlier this year, Adam Rose was suspended for 60 days for his second violation of the wellness policy. Rose publicly expressed his outrage with the WWE, saying that he was taking Adderall to treat his ADHD and that he had a prescription for it. He even posted a doctor’s note on Twitter. Weeks later, Rose was arrested for domestic violence, and the WWE extended his suspension indefinitely. Rose and the WWE later officially parted ways.
Although Eva Marie’s suspension is not a work as some had speculated, the WWE is already incorporating it into the storyline. On Thursday, the WWE updated its official website to note that the women’s division SummerSlam match is now left in “a state of uncertainty.” They have also removed Eva Marie from the promotional image. The match was originally going to be Carmella, Becky Lynch and Naomi vs. Natalya, Eva Marie and Alexa Bliss.
Due to the suspension, Eva Marie will be missing both the SummerSlam and Backlash pay-per-views.
Eva Marie has served as a heel on SmackDown over the past few weeks. Since being drafted onto the main roster, she has found increasingly creative ways to get out of wrestling, from faking an injury to saying she couldn’t make it due to traffic.