WWE superstar Gabe Tuft – ring name 'Tyler Reks – came out as a transgender woman this week.
The 42-year-old ex-wrestler is now called Gabbi Tuft and is using the pronouns she/her, as confirmed in a press release issued on Thursday (February 4).
In it, Tuft spoke about how she wrestled with her gender identity for many years, before finally making the decision to come out as trans with support from her daughter and her wife Priscilla.
The official statement reads:
“Despite his successes during and after his WWE career, Gabe was still wrestling with a secret persona dwelling deep within him.
“This is a persona he has been hiding in the loud silence of his soul since childhood.
"Finally, with the blessing of her loving wife Priscilla, Gabe is ready to reveal who she really is.
"Now known as she/her: A beautiful, wise, witty and wonderful woman. Gabbi is about to share her thrilling story of gender transitioning from a former WWE Superstar, Body Builder, Fitness Guru, Motivational Speaker and Motorcycle Racer to a fun loving and fabulous female.
"She has been finally set free and ready to rule her world.
"This is a story wrestling and other sports fans, friends and followers must not miss, especially many in the LGBTQ community dealing with challenging transgender issues who Gabbi and Priscilla are willing to help."
Tuft also came out publicly on her official Instagram account, sharing a picture of herself standing proudly next to a picture from her WWE days.
In a lengthy and emotional caption addressed to her 476,000 fans, Tuft wrote:
“The ball dropped early today as this is now worldwide news. This is me. Unashamed, unabashedly me.
“This is the side of me that has hidden in the shadows, afraid and fearful of what the world would think; afraid of what my family, friends, and followers would say or do.
“I am no longer afraid and I am no longer fearful. I can now say with confidence, that I love myself for WHO I am.
“The previous eight months have been some of the darkest of my entire life. The emotional turmoil of being transgender and having to face the world has almost ended me on multiple occasions.
“However, the day I stopped caring about what other people thought, was the day I truly became limitless and allowed my authentic self to come into the light.
“My loving wife, family, and closest friends have accepted me for who I am. To them, I am forever grateful. Your support along the way means more than you will ever know.
“I don’t expect everyone to agree or understand. It’s not my place to change any of your core beliefs. Just know that the outer shell may change, but the soul remains the same.”
According to People magazine, Tuft spoke about her decision to come out in a virtual interview with Billy Bush on the talk show Extra, stating that she first experienced gender dysphoria in childhood.
Tuft stated: “When I was 10 ... when my parents weren't home, I would sneak into my mom's closet and try out her clothes and it just felt right.”
However, Tuft added that she "suppressed" her feelings for many years, "because of society, knowing that people didn't accept it. So I pushed it down as far as I could."
She also spoke about how the revelation has affected her marriage, stating: “It's been a very interesting progression. Our intimate life has changed quite a bit.
“We're not active in that way right now, and what we've discovered is a whole different part of our relationship.”
