The former WWE star spoke about a racist segment he was involved in during his time with WWE, describing his feelings as "utterly disgusted." Benjamin expressed a strong desire to move past the incident, highlighting its disturbing nature and the significant impact it had on him.
Here’s a comprehensive overview of Shelton Benjamin’s recent remarks on racism during his WWE tenureWWE has faced criticism in the past for depicting racist stereotypes and mocking certain racial groups in its programming.
Recently, Benjamin addressed a segment from his career involving Yoshi Tatsu, where he impersonated the Japanese star. Benjamin expressed regret over his portrayal of Tatsu before their match on an episode of ECW and wishes he could erase it from his career history.
Shelton Benjamin posted on social media platform X, stating, "If there's one thing I could erase from my career, it's this. I'm disgusted by this racist incident. I'm relieved that the outcome saw my character getting kicked in the head and losing. #racismsucks"
Before the match, Benjamin mockingly bowed towards the crowd and Yoshi Tatsu. That night, Tatsu gained the upper hand, swiftly defeating Benjamin with a kick to the head.
Benjamin, who was released by WWE last year, was formerly a member of The Hurt Business faction. MVP, the group's leader, recently suggested that racial bias prevented the popular group from reuniting. Numerous other wrestlers, such as Lio Rush and Jordan Myles, have also criticized WWE for racial inequality.
Racism appears to be a recurring issue in WWE, highlighted by former WWE writer Britney Abrahams filing a lawsuit against WWE and Vince McMahon in 2023. She claimed discrimination and raised concerns about racist and sexist pitches made behind the scenes at WWE.
A few months after his release from WWE, Shelton Benjamin sat down with Simon Miller of What Culture Wrestling and shared his plans. Benjamin stated,
"My immediate plan is just to coast a bit and see what's out there, see what life has to offer. For seven years, I was with WWE, and I had a ten-year run with them before that. So for now, I'm not in any rush. I'm keeping my options open. I can't say anybody's any more of a front-runner than anything, but I want to come back to the UK. I'm going to be going back to Australia, where I'm going to be involved in an event out there."
Benjamin is one of the most respected veterans in the squared circle. He joined the main roster in the spring of 2002 and was part of the same OVW class as Brock Lesnar, Batista, John Cena, and Randy Orton.