Powell's Blog: Reaction to the Slam Wrestling story featuring Paul Heyman and Colt Cabana telling stories of anti-Semitic problems in WWE

Thursday, April 2 – 1:35 P.M. (CT)

I guess we can cross Paul Heyman off the list of potential replacements for departing Smackdown color commentator Tazz. The Slam Wrestling article in which Heyman and recently released WWE wrestler Colt Cabana (a/k/a Scotty Goldman) describe the anti-Semitic remarks made by Hall of Fame inductee Bill Watts and a developmental trainer will surely ruffles some feathers within the company.

The truth is that WWE officials have no one to blame but themselves if this story leads to more bad publicity. However, my guess is that it won't be a major topic of conversation amongst the media members covering WrestleMania 25. Most of the non-wrestling media are looking for fluff and filler pieces, and I assume that the wrestling media that WWE cooperates with won't rock the boat by asking controversial questions.

I've spoken with people who have defended Watts over the years. They cite the fact that he pushed African American performers during his days as a promoter for the Mid-South and UWF territories. It's not my job to pass judgement on Watts, but I believe some of the derogatory comments he's made speak for themselves. Of course, people can change and I sincerely hope that Watts has.

The key here is that WWE officials were well aware of the racist statements Watts has made when they chose to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame, so they had to know bad publicity was a possibility.

My initial take was assumption was that this article was Heyman's revenge, as it's surely not a coincidence that this article came out just two days before Watts will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. However, it's important to note that the author of the story, Ranjan Chhibber is a former creative team member who was the butt of repeated jokes regarding his ethnicity while he was employed by WWE until he quit in protest of Heyman being fired back in 2004.

Was revenge a factor in the timing of this story being published? I believe so. Again, though, WWE left itself open to this type of criticism by inducting Watts and by having Michael Hayes, who was suspended last year for using a racial slur in a public conversation with Mark Henry, serve as the presenter for the Von Erich Family at the same HOF ceremony.

As a fan, I think it would have been great if WWE had inducted the Von Erichs and the Freebirds in the same HOF class. I agree with what Heyman said in the Slam article about the Hall of Fame acknowledging the mark that individuals made on the industry despite their flaws as human beings.

Nevertheless, you still have to question WWE's judgement. When you hear stories such about the Hayes and Henry incident from last year, and the scene that Colt Cabana described in his Slam article, it's obvious that there are still some serious issues within the company. The decision to shine the spotlight on people with such well documented track records of making racist remarks - regardless of their intent - sends a horrible message and leaves the company vulnerable to bad publicity.

I've spoken with people in the industry who feel that the remarks Hayes made to Henry were made in jest and perhaps that was also the case with the "Kike Cabana" comment. No matter what the intent, people within the pro wrestling industry must wake up and realize that this type of behavior is not acceptable. The comments clearly offended Henry and Cabana, who shouldn't be expected to laugh off offensive comments regardless of whether there was any malice intended.

Despite everything I've written, I don't feel like there's a black cloud hanging over Saturday's WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. I respect the accomplishments and the contributions that the inductees and presenters have made throughout their careers, and you certainly can't blame the inductees for accepting the honor.

Yet while we celebrate the careers of these individuals, it's also important to acknowledge their flaws and learn from their mistakes. Sadly, given some of the recent incidents that have taken place within WWE, it's obvious that some employees and management officials are stuck in the Stone Age. What's worse is that while WWE officials may not condone this type of behavior, they aren't doing enough to change the culture that clearly still exists.