Man files lawsuit after wrestling injury

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February 28, 2012

Man files lawsuit after wrestling injury

Kick to groin leads to removal of Jeffersonville native’s testicle

By DAVID A. MANN David.Mann@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Tue Feb 28, 2012, 04:10 AM EST

JEFFERSONVILLE — A wrestler from Jeffersonville filed suit on Monday after being kicked in the testicles during a match.

The kick, described as violent and unscripted in the lawsuit, caused severe trauma to Jeffersonville native John Miller’s right testicle. As a result, it had to be removed and now his career is in question.

Miller, 23, had a match against Clinton “Guido Andretti” Woosley as a part of a Coliseum Championship Wrestling show in Evansville in June, according to a press release from Jeffersonville attorney Larry Wilder. According to the release, Woosley deviated from the script when he kicked Miller between the legs. Miller, who had just completed a stint on Oxygen Network’s “Love Games” reality show, immediately fell to the canvas and was unable to recover.

“Professional wrestling is like a choreographed dance or physical theater,” Wilder said. “Wrestlers know who the winner is going to be before they enter the ring and it’s their job to agree upon the dance that will get the result.

“In this case, Guido refused to accept the predetermined result and decided to deviate from the script and actually did something that is unacceptable in the industry, violently kicked John in his manhood.”

According to the suit, Miller attempted to discuss the various choreographed moves that each wrestler intended to undertake but Woosley did not respond in a customary way to Miller’s questions and request. Instead, Woosley responded that he understood he was supposed to lose and told Miller everything “would be OK.”

“It was obvious that the regulars weren’t happy that I was there and the promotion was about me being a contestant on ‘Love Games,’” Miller said in the release. “I can appreciate the fact that the regular, veterans don’t like it when an outsider comes to town and is the focus of the event, but blatantly disregarding the rules of engagement is not an acceptable response.”

Miller said he’s trained with professionals, including those in the WWE, a high-profile wrestling league.

“You are taught the accepted moves, kicks and strikes and no one has ever taught a move that exposed your manhood to a savage blow,” he said.

Wilder noted that Miller is a former member of the Jeffersonville High School wrestling team. He said he didn’t have health insurance and now owes more than $20,000 for a surgery to remove his testicle.

“He does not have the money, nor should he have to pay for the surgery,” Wilder said.

Further, he said that the loss of the testicle will result in a lack of testosterone, which could lead to the onset of arthritis, loss of sex drive, difficulty procreating and loss of muscle mass.

The suit was filed in Clark Circuit Court No. 4 and names Woosley, Coliseum Championship Wrestling and its promoter, Sam Cosby. Wilder was called for additional comment but could not be reached by press time. It’s unclear how much Miller is seeking in damages.

No attorney was listed for Woosley or Cosby. Attempts to reach the wrestling league were unsuccessful.