Former WCW wrestler Norris “Hardbody” Harrison Jr. was arrested on 8/18 and charged with forcing three women into prostitution as a way to force them to repay their debts to him as reported by NBC affiliate WXIA Channel 11 in Atlanta.
Harrison, who lives in Cartersville, Georgia, was arrested the day after one of the women approached a police officer and alleged that she was being held against her will. Three of the seven women with Harrison at the time claimed they were forced into prostitution.
According to the article, Georgia investigators contend that Harrison would claim to help the women by paying their bail fines and helping them find housing. Once he gained their confidence, however, he would allegedly force them to prostitute for him until they had paid off their debts to him.
Harrison, 38, is currently charged with three counts of false imprisonment and is currently free on $55,000 bond.
He wrestled for WCW in the late 1990s, mostly appearing on WCW Saturday Night. He was among the wrestlers involved in Sonny Onoo’s lawsuit against AOL Time Warner from awhile back, claiming that WCW paid them less than white performers and failed to promote them on nationally televised shows.
In an Atlanta-Journal Constitution article on the lawsuit, Harrison described his time in WCW. “I found myself lost in the shuffle, I was sold into slavery. They told me they weren’t hiring, but I kept seeing all these other white guys coming in getting contracts and leapfrogging past me.”
That lawsuit was later settled out of court.
The entire article can be read HERE.
Credit: Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com
