10 Insane Things You Missed When You Stopped Watching NXT
2. A Very Problematic Restaurant Skit
NXT has a rather...questionable approach to presenting Asian characters of late.
It should be noted that the brand does have a history of progressive or at least not suspiciously one-dimensional portrayals of Asian characters. That Shinsuke Nakamura is considered "progressive" against the WWE curve says rather a lot, but he was nonetheless promoted as a major figurehead ass-kicker who did not enter the ring to the sound of traditional woodwind instruments. Hideo Itami was also treated with dignity before his run fell apart. Kairi Sane, Asuka, Io Shirai: all (for a time) were positioned as super-legitimate wrestlers and well-drawn human beings.
Something however "happened" when "someone" started to infiltrate creative.
Zoey Stark had repeatedly pressed Io Shirai to form a tag team last year. Io wasn't interested. Starks persisted nonetheless and arranged some bonding time over dinner. The issue however is that they didn't opt for burgers nor brisket bur rather sushi, which was depicted in the skit as the most foul, repulsive f*cking food anybody has ever eaten. Stark retched, and in a scene inspired by Seinfeld, spat it out into napkins and threw it on the floor when Shirai wasn't looking. She then threw octopus against the wall of the restaurant, after treating wasabi like actual pig sh*t, and could barely comprehend the idea that Japanese speakers might actually come from the U.S.
Oh, come on. It's not that bad. Lighten up.
It's not as if NXT thought Asians were mystical practitioners of magic, or anything like that...