Beefcake Boulder (Thomas Wansaw) arrested for domestic violence incident, released from AEW

Charged with battery and strangulation, court records indicate

Thomas Wansaw, who wrestled for AEW as Beefcake Boulder, was arrested on January 13 in Orange County Florida, on charges of domestic battery by strangulation, a third-degree felony. Wansaw was reportedly released after the company learned of his arrest, according to Fightful and PWInsider.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, which was viewed by Wrestlenomics along with other records related to the case, deputies responded to an apartment in Winter Garden, Florida, at 4:45 pm, following a domestic violence call. Upon arrival, the reporting officer found Wansaw, 34, already in custody and spoke with the victim, who reported being physically assaulted during an argument.

The victim, whose name we’re withholding because she’s not a public figure, told authorities that Wansaw pushed her to the ground and placed his foot on her throat, causing her to lose consciousness for several minutes. She believes she was then placed on the couch in the home, which Wansaw verified to police. When she regained consciousness, she managed to call 911. Officers observed visible injuries, including red marks and scratches around her neck and a bruise on her hand, according to the affidavit submitted by officer Javier Rincon.

Wansaw admitted to the altercation, the record from police states, providing an account said to be consistent with what the victim stated to officers.

“Thomas Wansaw stated he knows what he did was not right but [the victim] made some negative comments about his job and he became upset,” the affidavit states.

Presumably this refers to his job as a wrestler working for AEW, but the affidavit doesn’t mention the company or specify what his job is. He also mentioned to police a separate incident earlier in the day in which the victim allegedly brandished, but Wansaw declined to pursue that matter.

The victim told police this wasn’t the first time Wansaw had become physically violent with her.

“[I]t happened approximately five to ten times over the course of their relationship,” she reportedly told police.

She said Wansaw attends anger management course where “he is a completely different person.”

Later while speaking with police, the victim said she did not want Wansaw to go to jail because of the financial stain that would cause on their relationship. She decided not to complete a written statement for police because she didn’t want him to go jail, according to the affidavit. She reportedly asked police if she recanted her story if that would prevent Wansaw from going to jail, but police advised her that he would going to jail regardless.

Following the arrest, Wansaw was booked into the Orange County Detention Facility where he was initially held without bond.

AEW hasn’t commented on this story. It’s unclear when AEW first learned of Wansaw’s arrest or how soon after that he was terminated by the company. At the time of this report, Wansaw, as “Boulder” still appears on the official roster page for AEW’s affiliate Ring of Honor.

Court records filed the following day, in which Wansaw applied to represented by a public defender, indicate his take home income is $3100 every two weeks. Annualized, that comes out to just over $80,000 per year.

Wansaw was initially released the day after his arrest under the conditions that he have no contact with the victim, that he maintain a separate residence from her, and that he not possess any weapons.

On January 15, two days after his arrest, Wansaw submitted a plea of not guilty.

Later, on January 27, after a statement was provided by the victim, Ninth Judicial Circuit Judge Vincent Falcone granted Wansaw’s motion to modify the no contact order to an order of no hostile or violent contact with the victim. The order to maintain separate residences was also removed. The order to not possess weapons remained in place.

At this time, there are no additional entries on the docket for Wansaw’s case beyond January 27.

Wansaw, as Beefcake Boulder, was one-half of the tag team Iron Savages, and had been a part of AEW’s roster since 2022. His last match with AEW was taped on January 11 for ROH on HonorClub, two days before his arrest, and aired on January 16, three days after the arrest.