Gay, Thirst Trapping Wrestler Dave Marshall Retires, But Hopes to Return to Sport

He may not currently be wrestling, but Aussie Dave Marshall has been one of the sports leading gay talents since 2015. "Following COVID-related lockdowns and his hips and shoulders issues, Marshall decided to leave the competition," reports the Australian newspaper the Star-Observer.

"It was the morning after a show where I just went for a walk and about three minutes in, my entire left leg went numb, and I was like, "oh this is" – it was full of pins and needles – "this, this is not right," he told�Star Observer.

Up to his retirement, the 32-year-old, 6'3" Marshall has been a leading talent in the Southern Hemisphere Wrestling Alliance (SHWA), a professional wrestling organisation that's inclusive and whose motto is "everyone's welcome."

"He's a three-time tag-team champion and won the heavyweight championship belt in Royal Rumble 2019," writes the Star-Observer.

Marshall defended his SHWA heavyweight championship before throwing in the towel in April 2021. "I'm undefeated. I was never pinned; never made to submit," he said. He has a "clean record," which he's "very proud of."

While he may not be wrestling, he hopes to return to the sport at some future date. "It's a never-say-never-say situation," the former bodybuilder said. "I absolutely loved – just entertaining was always a second nature for me; I always like to make people smile – something I enjoy doing."

He adds: "I think if I was to go back to the professional wrestling, I would only be doing a handful of shows in Perth ... it wouldn't be what it was before, where it was every two weeks I was doing a show. I'm in my thirties now; I've gotta behave."

The super-fit hunk made news in 2018 when he turned to OnlyFans to raise money for the mental health charity Beyond Blue after having recently lost his father to suicide, the New York Post reported. "The reason the money I raise from my OnlyFans goes towards Beyond Blue is seeing every day how big depression and anxiety has become in society and almost overlooked," Marshall wrote on Instagram,�according to AVN. "[It's my] first time saying this but my father took his life last year."

The idea of using porn as a fundraising tool was Marshall's then boyfriend's idea and at first he was reluctant. "After some thought, I did start it up with part [of the] proceeds going to Beyond Blue – a suicide prevention charity," he explained.�"Stats on LGBT in this area are quite scary too so I hope I can in some way, give back to my community. Positivity is everything."

Seeing Marshall today it may be hard to believe just a few years ago he was a scrawny salesperson dating a woman. He has been interested in wrestling since he was a child, and in 2015 at 26, he made the plunge into the sport. "Wrestling had always been the reason I got into fitness and is a big part of what keeps me going," he said. "I wanted to be a wrestler since I was 10 and am finally living the dream."

Becoming a wrestler also empowered him to come out. While he hooked up with guys while in high school, he kept it secret and dated woman. At 18, he began a seven-year relationship with a woman. He told her when he was 23 that he was bi, but she said it didn't matter as long as he loved her. Two years later he came out as gay and they broke up but have remained friends.

"When he told his family and friends he was gay, they were all supportive," reported Gay Star News. "He said: 'Fortunately, not a single person has been negative towards my coming out. My family – even a very homophobic uncle – were all very supportive.'"

And while in his first relationship, which lasted three years, he discovered a clothing passion. ""Day-to-day, it's briefs all round for me..." confirms Dave, when our conversation inevitably turns to underwear. In the bedroom, a guy in a jock will always do a guy wonders. I got into loving underwear a few months into my first male relationship – he had a lot of underwear."

As well as lots of IGs of himself in briefs: