WWE Hall of Famer Rips Woke Wrestling Fans Over Wrestler's Non-Racist Comment

The ‘Attitude Era’ has become the ‘Sensitive Era,' as some wrestling fans are crying foul over a recent WWE segment they believe to be racist.

The particular scene in question involved WWE wrestler Carlito saying that he "has to learn Chinese," after doing a backstage segment with female wrestlers Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane. The only problem is that the two wrestlers are Japanese. That sent some on social media into a spiral saying that it was wrong, offensive and even racist for the wrestler to refer to them as Chinese.

Context is always important, however, and it's crucial for one to realize that Carlito is a bad guy - also known as a "heel," in wrestling terms, AND that his current character's persona is that of an idiot. His interviews and segments in recent months all have him being an ignorant character. Not to mention that this is a WRESTLING CHARACTER we're talking about, people!

‘STOP THE VIRTUE SIGNALLING’

The joke appeared to fall flat on some who were ‘outraged’ that Carlito would say something so offensive. But as WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff stressed to me, the comments came said during a wrestling program and not the evening news.

"If that same line is delivered in that same tone on a sitcom, it might have gotten a groan, it might have gotten a chuckle… it's a throwaway line, people, take it easy!" Bischoff said while acknowledging that the problem with it was that it came across as cringe and not funny - but absolutely was not done with sinister, racial intentions.

"If you apply the same principles to professional wrestling that you apply to sitcoms, where things way worse than this are said on network, primetime television today; get over yourselves people! You do not have to be a freaking victim, you do not have to be - you are choosing to be, stop it!"

CARLITO PLAYS AN IGNORANT HEEL ON WWE PROGRAMS

The result of Carlito's comments quickly spiraled from a harmless 2-second comment during a 3-hour program into absolute mayhem as a debate on whether it was racist debate wages on. What I find particularly interesting is that many of the offended people were WHITE and not Japanese, who logically would have every right to be offended if they chose to be. Also, as #Carlito began trending across some social media channels, people who don't regularly watch wrestling and only saw this short clip decided they had to chime in on a topic they weren't very familiar with.

If Carlito said what he said on the street and not as an ignorant wrestling CHARACTER, then, absolutely it would be wrong. But come on, people, Carlito didn't intend to hurt anyone.

"He's a good guy, he's a great guy, for anybody to suggest Carlito is racist - just look around you people, open your eyes and it's just a stupid thing to say… and it's wrestling for crying out loud!" Bischoff added that "for many of those who seriously have a problem with this is just "reaching for something to bitch about," or even "virtue signalling." 

The WWE, however, may think differently, as they have cropped Carlito's Chinese reference from all social media clips of the exchange. Bischoff told me that it may not necessarily be the WWE's decision, but perhaps a network executive who may have made a call to the promotion that they heard some rumblings on socials that it didn't go over too well by some. Bischoff added that he would not discipline or suspend Carlito as some on social media have called for if he was in charge of wrestlers like he once was. He believes that WWE CCO Paul Levesque (Triple H) would not either. "Paul is a smart man who ‘absolutely gets it" and is able to separate the phony outrage from legitimate criticism.

THERE GOES THE ATTITUDE ERA COMEBACK

Ever since the WWE made an agreement to move their programming over to Netflix beginning in January 2025, there has been a growing rallying cry from wrestling fans hoping that the company would be edgier and bring back the ‘Attitude Era’ that dominated the late 90s and early 2000s. Eric Bischoff would know as he was the Executive Producer of WCW Nitro and the brainchild behind creating the nWo (New World Order) with Hulk Hogan that would propel the network into 83 weeks of straight sports ratings dominance. 

You can forget about that now.

You thought some people were offended in 2000 with ‘S*ck it?" My God, just think about how that’d come across today with the Sensitive Era of wrestling fans we are dealing with. Bischoff agrees, saying that for the WWE it doesn't make sense to ruin the product they already have.

"Look how heavily their PPVs are sponsored now, there's no reason to mess with that now and you put that in jeopardy when you start going [towards the Attitude Era]," Bischoff responded before adding that he personally doesn't want it back either because creatively, you "run out of shock" pretty quickly by pushing the envelope every single week. 

What Carlito said would barely register on the ‘shock and awe’ scale. And to have this kind of debate already? Woof. 

Folks, this is wrestling we're talking about, not real life. If you want a feel-good story where everything works out in the end, go watch the Hallmark Channel. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CARLITO'S COMMENTS? TWEET ME: @TheGunzShow