Rising star from Minneapolis brings LGBTQ+ representation to pro wrestling

When Devon Monroe enters a wrestling ring, he’s loud, energetic and oozes sex appeal.

“He’s a show off, but a humble show off. I like to call it humble showing off, because it’s never my intention trying to be better than anyone else. But you know, when you’re kind of that girl, it just kind of comes off that way,” said Monroe.

Since 2018, Monroe — whose real name is Rahgeme Snider — has been dazzling wrestling rings in the Twin Cities with bold outfits and a signature move exclusively using his “booty.” 

“Who doesn’t like using their ass?,” said Monroe with a laugh. “I don’t know, it’s fun. It wins the matches.”

Local wrestling fans know him through his larger-than-life personality. Everything about him is flashy and authentic to Monroe — his outfits, his wrestling moves and his storyline.

“Devon is kind of just the confidence, the showmanship, the femininity, like just the gorgeousness that I feel like I never really got to live out in my real life,” said Monroe, 25.

From a young age, Monroe loved wrestling. He grew up in Minneapolis and watched World Wrestling Entertainment with his cousin, who introduced him to wrestling. He came to love Sasha Banks and Naomi, both Black female wrestlers who inspired him to pursue wrestling.

“It was always something that I loved, and I wanted deep down to do, but I never believed that I truly could,” said Monroe.

That’s because wrestling is a “macho man” sport. Everything from Devon Monroe’s gear to the way he struts into the ring and works the crowd comes from female wrestlers like Banks.

“The first thing you notice about Sasha when she steps out from the curtain is her confidence. You can tell from her facial expression, the way that she walks, that there’s just an air of star power. That is kind of the one thing that I took from her,” he said.

Watching Banks, now known as Mercedes Moné, and LGBTQ+ wrestlers like Sonny Kiss pushed Monroe into pursuing wrestling on his own. He says the uniqueness that he brings as a Black gay man has helped make his mark as a professional wrestler in Minnesota. 

Monroe currently wrestles under F1RST Wrestling, a local promotion company known for its flagship event “WRESTLEPALOOZA” at Minneapolis’ First Avenue.

And he will often enter a wrestling ring with dramatic makeup and colorful ensembles, like cropped jackets and strappy briefs. Monroe says no one has seen anyone like him before.

“They don’t push types of characters like us, like we’re usually the comedy trope, or we’re usually used for a quick ‘haha.’ But I think especially this year in 2024 it’s been almost kind of, like, revolutionary to see a character like mine not be the ‘haha,’ but instead be a serious character and actually put up a fight and hang with the rest of the boys,” said Monroe.

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According to Arik Cannon, owner of the company and mentor to Monroe, he’s a top talent at F1RST Wrestling.

“He’s been a star from day one,” said Cannon. “He knows that he has a connection. He knows that these people want to see him, so it allows him to do his job as a wrestler when he’s in peril and fighting from underneath to get that crowd sympathy, which is ultimately what makes him such a quote, unquote, good guy in what we do,” said Cannon.

Archaic ‘straight, white, misogynistic’ wrestling is ‘dead and gone’

Cannon has been a wrestler since 2001 and founded F1RST Wrestling in 2007. He said wrestling culture has changed over the years to include more queer talent like Monroe. 

For any given event F1RST Wrestling hosts, Cannon said he books anywhere from four to six LGBTQ+ wrestlers.

“The archaic 80s, straight, white, misogynistic wrestling is, in my opinion, dead and gone. We’re doing things today in pro wrestling that back then would be unheard of. Guys are wrestling girls, we have Black champions all over the landscape. We have queer champions all over the landscape, like it is just not what it used to be. And I think that people are not only seeing it, but they’re recognizing it and more importantly, they’re appreciative of it,” said Cannon.

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Ken Anderson, who coached Monroe early in his career, said Monroe is part of an explosion of new wrestlers that are openly queer in the Twin Cities wrestling scene. Anderson did a stint as a professional wrestler with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2005 to 2009 and founded a wrestling school in Minneapolis in 2016.

During his time at WWE under the name “Mr. Kennedy,” he says there were gay wrestlers who were closeted.

“I feel like the world is becoming safer for everybody, in the sense that people are allowed to be who they authentically are. And wrestling, to me, has always been the most accepting group of people. I think if there were more closeted people before the 2000s, it wasn’t due to wrestlers themselves not being accepting of it, it was more like fans weren’t accepting of it,” he said.

Anderson coached Monroe early in his career at his wrestling school, The Academy. Monroe was the first openly gay wrestler to graduate from The Academy.

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“I go around the room on day one and I always ask everybody, ‘What do you plan to get out of this business?’ Because success is different for everyone. People say, ‘I want to go to WWE — WWE or bust.’ I have people that say, ‘I just want to wrestle on the weekends with my buddies.’ And I remember him specifically saying that he wanted to be a beacon of hope for other LGBTQ kids,” said Anderson.

Anderson said Monroe is now doing that and believes he can make it to WWE if he wants to go that route. Cannon also helped train Monroe early in his career and said he’s helping bring more attention to LGBTQ+ wrestlers in the Twin Cities.

“I think he’s a bigger part of making that happen than he realizes, especially here in Minnesota. Not just because he’s bringing eyes to queer talents within pro wrestling, but he’s on top here in Minnesota. And I think that not only does that bring more eyes to queer talents, but I think that it says to other queer talents, I can do that too,” said Cannon.

The wrestling world is ready to see ‘a new type of superstar’

Monroe’s biggest dream is to do wrestling full-time and make it to national television. He currently works as an accountant at a hotel in Minneapolis, but does wrestling in his free time.

So far, his wrestling career has taken him to Chicago, California, Canada, Florida and Texas. In the next few years, he hopes to travel across the world and visit wrestling hubs like Japan to get his name out there.

He was also recently recognized by Outsports, a sports news website focusing on LGBTQ+ athletes, as one of the top 20 LGBTQ+ wrestlers in the world. On their fan-generated list, he was ranked at number 15.

“I feel like in 2024 the wrestling world is ready to see a new type of superstar. And I think that’s kind of part of the reason, you know, why people are drawn to me so much is just my energy and just the ready to see something new,” said Monroe.

In November, he squared off against former WWE wrestler Matt Cardona at the Mall of America to one of the biggest crowds he’s ever seen. The crowd was eager to see a rematch: Monroe held the WRESTLEPALOOZA championship title for 420 days before he lost it to Cardona in August.

The hundreds of fans at the show — mostly those classic macho men — chanted “Black Sexcellence” as he wrestled Cardona. In the end, Monroe lost. But it’s OK — the loss continues the storyline for Monroe to fight to claim the title back from Cardona in his next few matches.

“For me, it proves that there are people out there who can look past seeing a man in makeup,” said Monroe. “They can look past this and see the talent, see the hard work that I’m putting in.”

But of course, his LGBTQ+ fans have a special place in his heart.

“The biggest thing is just knowing that, like you know, they can see someone that they can relate to. They can see someone that you know kind of has their story, and I love it,” said Monroe.

Monroe will next appear at Wrestlepalooza Night 1 on Jan. 3 at First Avenue in Minneapolis. Tickets start at $35 before fees.