A planned international wrestling appearance has unraveled following online backlash, prompting a lengthy and emotional response from the promoting company.

Earlier this month, Israel Pro Wrestling Association confirmed that Priscilla Kelly was scheduled to appear at its Passover Bash event on April 6. The announcement initially generated excitement, with Kelly briefly acknowledging the booking on social media by writing, “I’m going to Israel.”

However, criticism quickly followed amid the ongoing Israel–Palestine conflict. As the reaction intensified, Kelly removed the post, announced she would no longer take part in the event, and later deactivated her social media accounts entirely. Since then, IPWA has stepped forward with a detailed public statement addressing both the cancellation and the wider reaction to it.

In its statement, IPWA strongly defended Kelly and condemned the backlash she received:

“Priscilla had no knowledge of the conflict in the region. She treated it as a regular booking. She did nothing wrong. I kindly request people to leave her alone and not bother her after she activates back her accounts.

Priscilla is a good person and a kind soul and she does not deserve this type of emotional stress. Did you know that I am the only person in the Middle East that brings wrestling superstars to meet not only Israelis but also Palestinians? So by bullying Priscilla out of this booking you screwed Israelis, Palestinians, Arabs, Jews, Muslims, Druze, Russians, Ukranians, Ethiopians, Christians and many more who live here in the region.

Did you know that my IPWA in Israel is the only place in the Middle East that promotes Women’s Wrestling and treats women equal to men? In 2022 at WrestleMitzvah (which is available on Fite TV) we featured a Womens Championship match which was the first ever Women’s Championship in the Middle East and also the first time ever Women Main Evented a wrestling card in the Middle East. In Israel – women have the same rights as men, so on our shows female wrestlers can dress however they choose and are NOT forced to be covered from head to toe.

In Israel we empower women and Women’s Wrestling, featuring female wrestlers from all over the world of all faiths and religions.

Did you know that in my IPWA in Israel we are the only place in the Middle East that puts the spotlight on openly gay wrestlers? We support and treat them equally.

While in other dark Islamic regimes being gay equals the death penalty.

When I bring former WWE superstars I take them to meet everyone in this area, with one message – that the wrestling language is the language of peace! Chris Masters alone, during his last trip brought Israelis and Palestinians to watch his match with John Cena and for couple minutes we entered a magical world – in that moment we all were just die hard wrestling fans interacting with a real life superstar. Seeing a real WWE superstar who actually wrestled John Cena made Masters look like God. Nobody cared about politics anymore. John Cena brought everyone together.

So instead of hating, bullying and boycotting – I call upon everyone to come here and see things for yourselves. Then and only then form your own opinions. I also would like to extend an official invitation to WWE and AEW to come here for one show in Tel Aviv for the Israelis and another in Jericho for the Palestinian Peace through wrestling is not a fantasy, nor a dream. It’s possible to turn the dream into a reality. We can make a real difference this time – for the sake of future generations.”

As of now, Kelly has not issued any further public comments, and her social media accounts remain inactive. The situation has sparked broader debate within the wrestling community about international bookings, online harassment, and the pressures placed on performers navigating global political issues.