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What’s the story?
Jinder Mahal’s latest promo landed the WWE in hot water and forced them to release a statement after the WWE Champion made some controversial remarks. WWE played it safe, and responded with a short and sweet statement.
In case you didn't know...
Mahal came out to address the WWE audience on the latest edition of SmackDown Live and continued his two-week tirade disparaging his opponent Shinsuke Nakamura.
Last week’s scathing comments about the “Godzilla” movies didn’t seem to bother as many people, but Mahal’s remarks regarding Nakamura’s dialect and referring to him as “Mr. Miyagi” caused fans in attendance to chant “that’s too far.”
The segment never made it to the WWE’s YouTube page amidst a large outcry from wrestling fans who voiced their grievances across platforms.
The heart of the matter
Mahal’s insults against Nakamura made headlines both in and out of the wrestling world and managed to get WWE in the Washington Post for “dealing with racism.”
Marissa Payne, author of the Washington Post article, reached out to the WWE for comments and was sent a message discussing how the company embraces diversity.
“Just like many other TV shows or movies, WWE creates programming with fictional personalities that cover real world issues and sensitive subjects.
As a producer of such TV shows, WWE Corporate is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide.”
What's next?
Mahal’s comments against Nakamura were eerily similar to the comments Triple H made to Booker T in the midst of their championship feud and their feud didn’t end well.
Only time will tell if this feud will share the same fate.
Author's take
WWE’s statement regarding Mahal’s offensive comments are emphasizing the fact that what was said was a reflection of the Jinder Mahal character and not the actual person.
The second portion of their statement was almost a complete copy of the statement the company issued when they terminated Hulk Hogan in 2015.
The overall statement references WWE programming as a television show that attempts to incorporate real world issues but that has proven to be risky business for the company over the years.
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