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B.C. independent wrestling promotion co-owner removed after sexual harassment allegations surface

ECCW co-owner Jeff Duncan removed from ownership duties after several allegations are posted online
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ECCW was rocked last week with sexual harassment allegations against co-owner Jeff Duncan who was removed on Wednesday.

Due to some communicated confusion over similar names, it should be clear that Jeff Duncan, identified as “Jeff Duncan Ingenuity Live” on a Google search is not in any way related to the Jeff Duncan referred to in this story.

B.C.’s longest running independent wrestling promotion has forced one of its owners out after a number of sexual harassment and bullying allegations surfaced this week.

Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW), which is based in Surrey and runs shows throughout the Lower Mainland, announced on Wednesday that co-owner Jeff Duncan – aka “The Natural” – has been “removed” from the organization.

Many of the allegations came as a result of the #SpeakingOut movement on Twitter, which has seen accusations against a number of professional wrestlers exposed online. The movement is similar to #MeToo, which began in 2017.

Following the allegations, ECCW issued a short note on their Twitter account stating that they support the women coming forward, and that they were made aware of allegations about members of ECCW. The note explained that those members have been “removed,” and that the organization will have no further comment. The News spoke to a current owner, who declined to comment further.

ECCW representatives did not name which members have been expelled or what the specific allegations were. The tweet was criticized by many online for its lack of transparency. Other promotions facing similar issues were more forthcoming with fans about what had occurred and plans for the future to solve any lingering problems.

Duncan was eventually identified as one of those removed, but he denied the allegations on the website Post Wrestling. He did confirm he is no longer involved with ECCW. He wrote that he understood that the decision was made in the best interests of the company. He also deleted his Twitter account prior to the news. Duncan has never faced criminal charges for any of the allegations and does not have a criminal record.

A website for a Lower Mainland Catholic school lists Duncan as an educational assistant. It’s uncertain if he is still employed at that school.

On Friday afternoon Duncan released a statement to Post Wrestling explaining that he supports the #SpeakingOut movement and apologized to those he may have hurt.

Following ECCW’s statement online, most of its wrestlers and many of its other employees announced they will no longer be associated with the promotion. The majority of the current titleholders relinquished their belts, and former wrestlers and others involved in ECCW events expressed their concerns at what has been alleged. Several users stated that the accusations had been known to management for many years, but nothing was done.

ECCW was founded in 1996 and was originally known as Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling. The promotion is known for its Ballroom Brawl events, which occur twice a year at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. Several top global wrestling stars have competed for the promotion including Daniel Bryan, Becky Lynch, Bayley, the Bollywood Boys, Kyle O’Reilly, El Phantasmo and Chelsea Green.

The promotion last ran a show on Feb. 29 in New Westminster.

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Ben Lypka

About the Author: Ben Lypka

I joined the Abbotsford News in 2015.
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