AEW star Marina Shafir has opened up about a troubling encounter with a male co-worker that turned physical during a gym session on show day. Speaking candidly on The Saraya Show podcast, Shafir described the unprovoked altercation and her intense reaction, shining a light on the challenges many women still face in the workplace.
According to Shafir, the incident began when the male colleague — someone she barely knew — began mimicking her on a treadmill. Things escalated when she moved to a stretching area, only to be shoved aggressively from behind.
“I’m just, like, leaning against the wall, and all of a sudden I get f—ing shoved from behind,” she said. “It wasn’t like a soft shove… my water bottle hits the wall, like, cuts me in the gums… Water is just everywhere.”
She said the man tried to brush it off playfully, taunting her with “Come on, come on,” as if it were a joke. Shafir, clearly unamused, felt instantly threatened. “I was uncomfortable. I did not invite that. I had my f—ing headphones in. I’m minding my own f—ing business… I just went from Marina in reality to Marina seeing red.”
After checking in with two other co-workers who confirmed the man wasn’t joking, Shafir, a trained MMA fighter, took matters into her own hands.
“I’m like, ‘Alright, motherf—er.’ I stood southpaw just to mess with him. I faked a f—ing left, took a big step and just f—ing, just hooked the f— out of it… he goes to shoot for a double. I stuffed that motherf—er… he tried again, and I stuffed it again.”
The final words she remembered saying to him were: “I will f—ing take your money. Don’t ever f—ing touch me, ever again.”
Despite being the victim, Shafir said she immediately feared professional repercussions for defending herself. “I was nervous… but then I had to just go on with the day, like nothing f—ing happened. It was just such a stressful thing.”
Podcast host Saraya shared her own experience of being grabbed inappropriately “as a joke” by someone in a position of authority, highlighting the ongoing issue of boundary violations.
Shafir, currently featured in AEW as a member of the Death Riders faction, hopes her story encourages others to speak up — and reminds people that respect and personal space should never be optional.
