10 WWE Gimmicks With Racist Undertones

In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull

Mark Henry Ivory D'Lo Brown
WWE

Ironically harmonious considering the fires the characters are intended to stoke, wrestling has maintained a uncomfortably close relationship with racism even as the world gradually grew cognisant of its ills.

Upon unexpectedly earning a shot at the WWE Title April 2017, Jinder Mahal picked at a largely healed scab by trying to spin the lukewarm responses he received as guttural and bigoted hatred due to his ethnicity. For the most part, WWE's own audience were substantially more sophisticated than the company had dared to imagine - when Mahal aimed similarly dated rhetoric at Shinsuke Nakamura, chants of 'That's Too Far' undermined the pathetically transparent heat-seeking missile.

It was admittedly the most on-the-nose the company had been with such a divisive trick in several years, such was the desperation to earn the gimmick a modicum or notoriety to justify the woefully misguided push. Cooler heads have prevailed in recent years to ensure Vince McMahon's long-held stereotypes aren't spewed out with such obnoxious frequency, especially with a lucrative licensing deal dictating far tighter taste parameters than ever before.

Despite a permanent absence of nuance in the organisation, some notes of derision and division have been thankfully stifled more than others. That's not to excuse WWE - that they were there to begin with was still the biggest problem of all.

10. Cryme Tyme

Virgil WWE
WWE.com

Vince McMahon's New Generation creative crutch was almost always the second job. His audience were asked to accept bin-men, dentists and plumbers moonlighting as WWE Superstars in the mid-1990s, suggesting that you could steal a living in the role. Cryme Tyme were an all-too-literal representation.

Despite looking and acting like the pro wrestlers the actually were, JTG and Shad Gaspard couldn't help themselves from going on the rob. There was the rather unpleasant suggestion that virtually all of their out-front wealth was accrued though thievery thanks both to tongue-in-cheek introductory vignettes and the actual actions of the characters once they made it to the main roster.

Ironically, their best days were stolen from them seemingly by the cynicism of others. After years of being the company's lowest-hanging punching bag, JTG's revealing autobiographies since his release didn't shy away from covering their fall from grace.

Popular and promising, the duo's trajectory was hampered by too many run-ins with the organisation's heaviest hitters behind the scenes. Gaspard in particular allegedly regularly raised the ire of John Cena, Triple H at al, without managing to chase off his maligned partner in the process. It was the only 'crime' he came close to committing.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett